New Year’s Eve: Worst Holiday Movie Ever?
Dec14

New Year’s Eve: Worst Holiday Movie Ever?

  Holiday movies, by virtue of the power vested in them, are supposed to have uplifting elements to them. But in the case of the celebrity-packed “New Year’s Eve,” from the makers of the similarly-themed “Valentine’s Day,” the dominant emotions are stultifying boredom and dread. The story certainly had potential for that warm, fuzzy feeling. The concept: take a bunch of diverse, but generally...

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My Week With Marilyn: Michelle’s Revealing Take on a Legend
Dec06

My Week With Marilyn: Michelle’s Revealing Take on a Legend

That’s funny. Or maybe, not so much. For Golden Globes, “My Week With Marilyn” is being entered as a comedy. Funny is one of the last adjectives that come to mind after seeing this well-crafted film. Tender, touching and perhaps, a bit amusing maybe, but laugh out loud comedic, no. But one thing’s for sure. Michelle Williams is a revelation as the great screen and sex icon Marilyn Monroe. That comes as somewhat...

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Shame: Michael Fassbender’s NC-17 Sex in the City Thrill Ride
Dec02

Shame: Michael Fassbender’s NC-17 Sex in the City Thrill Ride

Deep, dark, gloomy and, dare we say, penetrating. That’s the feeling you get from the very beginning of the new thriller, “Shame.”   If you missed seeing the Irish born actor Michael Fassbender in “X-Men: First Class,” “Jane Eyre,” “Hunger,” or this season’s “A Dangerous Method,” you’ll never forget him as Brandon in the Steve McQueen directed...

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Rampart: Harrelson at His Best as a Very Bad Cop
Nov28

Rampart: Harrelson at His Best as a Very Bad Cop

  If you’re expecting another “Training Day,” in which Denzel Washington played a corrupt LA cop in the role that won him an Academy Award, you’re probably going to be a bit disappointed in “Rampart,” a much buzzed about film in limited release to qualify for awards.   Washington, you may recall, was riveting as a rogue cop running his own drug and cash enterprise within the LAPD, and...

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Like Crazy: The Challenges and Joys of Long Distance Love
Nov27

Like Crazy: The Challenges and Joys of Long Distance Love

There’s a real life lesson in the big plot twist of the film “Like Crazy.” If you’re a foreign national, don’t overstay your visa in the United States to spend the summer – or any other season – with your lover. (Or for any other reason.)   That’s what puts a huge wrinkle in the fabric of the delightful, dynamic, wistful,poetic relationship of Jacob and Anna, charmingly played by the now no longer unknowns...

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