REVIEW: The Matador [2005]

“The best cocktail party story you’ve ever met” No matter what you say about Pierce Brosnan’s acting talent, you have to give him credit for being able to make fun of the roles he has made a living on. From TV’s “Remington Steele” to his stint as James Bond, Brosnan has always been the suave killer with the serious demeanor and ladies aplenty. Even as of late you see him doing variations of the part like his diamond thief in After the Sunset. With The Matador, however, we see a…

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REVIEW: Little Children [2006]

“Please be a good boy” When you have the sort of auspicious debut that director Todd Field had with his fantastic first feature In the Bedroom, there is a big anticipation to see whether the sophomore effort can bring the same intensity. The trailer for Little Children definitely set an ominous tone with its minimalist composition of frame, the sparse amount of words, and the foreboding train sounds heard throughout. It was a great tease, doing its job to spark interest while not giving too much away. I had hoped…

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REVIEW: Over the Hedge [2006]

“Let’s call it Steve” There are so many animated films coming out a year that it is tough to bring yourself to see any of them. Sure the Pixar brand means instant gold, however, the multitude of studios popping up with computer graphics are really watering down the quality. Especially with every studio releasing the same thing in competition, how many free from the zoo films did we sit through, it is a true surprise when one of these films surprises you. When I first saw the commercials for Dreamworks’…

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REVIEW: Blood Diamond [2006]

“Bling, Bang” Here we have Hollywood’s newest addition to the agenda driven film, trying to get people’s attention to the plight of Africa. The trailers had me intrigued, but the press stemmed much of that anticipation as most I heard talked about how preachy the movie was, with its only concern being to show Americans the death and destruction that went into their precious engagement ring. I am a big fan of the three principal actors, however, and I tried to leave all the critic’s words home when going out…

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REVIEW: The Dead Girl [2006]

“12:13” It is that time of the year where all the Golden Globes and Oscar hype hit the airwaves, DVD screeners are sent to voters, and Buffalo gets just the top few contenders. With all the critical acclaim of some films, it is a real shame we don’t get to see them all on the big screen (still can’t fathom how Little Children has not come to theatres here, maybe the Golden Globe nom will get the ball rolling). Karen Moncrieff’s sophomore effort The Dead Girl falls into the category…

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REVIEW: Rocky Balboa [2006]

“Fighters fight” I never thought I’d hear the horns play the Rocky theme song again on the big screen. When I heard that Sylvester Stallone was bringing back the character that made his career, I couldn’t help but laugh. After a great one, two punch with the first couple films in the saga, he hit a huge snag with the third, redeemed some respect with the fourth, and put a nail in the coffin with the fifth, (I try to forget that one was even made). One must wonder who…

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REVIEW: The Black Dahlia [2006]

“Fire and Ice” I will preface this review with the fact that I am a big Brian De Palma apologist. I have not seen a movie by him that I didn’t like. Whether mainstream hits like Scarface and The Untouchables, indie favs like Sisters and Femme Fatale, or even the surreal camp that is The Phantom of the Paradise, I love them all. Therefore I tried to disregard all the bad press surrounding The Black Dahlia’s release as I figured no matter how bad people thought it was I would…

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REVIEW: For Your Consideration [2006]

“I did find a fella, and her name is Mary Pat” The hype for this film was huge as far as the places I go for my movie news. There were rumors that Christopher Guest had retired his brand of improv mockumentary, and just the mention of his return with For Your Consideration brought a smile to my face. I will admit I haven’t seen either Waiting for Guffman (if anyone has it please let me borrow) or A Mighty Wind, however, Best in Show is one of the funniest…

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REVIEW: It’s a Wonderful Life [1946]

“George lassos the moon” I don’t know how I went 23 years of Christmas without having It’s a Wonderful Life playing during the holiday season. Last year I saw the film for the first time on the big screen at the Screening Room in Amherst. Once again, as it seems to have become a yearly tradition there, I have found myself loving it just as much the second time this year. Frank Capra has put a masterpiece onto celluloid here, and that is quite a feat for a holiday niche…

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REVIEW: Scrooge [A Christmas Carol] [1951]

“God bless us, everyone” Being that my only previous knowledge of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol came from a rendition done by the muppets and a Bill Murray comedic vehicle, I was quite looking forward to checking out, what many call, the definitive version from 1951. I have never read the book, however, a friend of mine said he had just finished reading it again before our viewing, and that this movie was as close as can be without alienating the audience with archaic language. While the title at beginning…

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REVIEW: Pulse [2006]

“Do you want to meet a ghost?” Why does Hollywood insist on remaking movies from foreign countries when they haven’t even been out for five years? If Asian horror is really the best form of the genre out there, why don’t production companies buy distribution rights and show them stateside? Instead they spend that money to get rights and then invest even more to get actors and a production off the ground for a full-blown reshoot. I mean when has an American remake ever been better than the original? Yeah,…

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