REVIEW: The Lookout [2007]

“Gimps night out” Writer Scott Frank can now add director to his list of accomplishments. The man behind the script for two favorites of mine, Get Shorty and Out of Sight, has gone behind the camera to direct a new original screenplay, The Lookout. Despite the talent involved—Frank, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who can do no wrong), Matthew Goode, and stalwart Jeff Daniels—I definitely had my reservations about the film from the trailer. It seemed a bit too conventional, a bank heist gone wrong with an inevitable twist waiting in the wings.…

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REVIEW: Zodiac [2007]

“I am not Avery” Two David Fincher films in two years? Is that even possible? With The Curious Case of Benjamin Button finishing filming this year for a 2008 release, we get the director’s sixth film, Zodiac. While we do get some vintage Fincher style throughout the proceedings, this is very different from his other movies. As much a real life story film as one can be, Zodiac goes through the years chronicling the hunt for the serial killer that got away. There isn’t the graphic gore quality we’ve become…

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REVIEW: Reign Over Me [2007]

“Can we get Chinese now?” Love hurts. That, I think, is the main message Mike Binder’s newest film Reign Over Me brings across. Whether that love has caused your relationship to become stagnant, or has brought anger from the one you love cheating for years, or has broken your heart to the point of being unable to open yourself up to the world, love hurts. The great thing about this film, however, is not in its portrayal of these lost souls trying to let their past heartbreaks go, but in…

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REVIEW: Lawrence of Arabia [1962]

“Nothing is written” Lawrence of Arabia is oftentimes listed as one of the greatest films of all time. Not only that, but many say Peter O’Toole’s performance as T.E. Lawrence is the greatest piece of acting ever to be captured onscreen as well. Being that the movie was made 45 years ago, I wasn’t going into it thinking I would agree with either statement necessarily. Whether the four hour run time was too daunting to get my hopes up or not, I knew that no matter what, I needed to…

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REVIEW: Das Leben der Anderen [The Lives of Others] [2006]

“The 40th Anniversary Play” Many people were startled by the fact that Pan’s Labyrinth lost the Best Foreign Film Oscar to its fellow nominee Das Leben der Anderen [The Lives of Others]. Granted, many hadn’t seen the German film yet, however, I think the push that the Spanish fantasy had, while also taking a few technical Oscars in the process, surprised a lot of people. The shock led to numerous movie folk on the internet describing the voting process for that award, how a select group, not the entire Academy,…

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REVIEW: 300 [2007]

“Sparta!” This is what film was destined to evolve to. After decades of directors making storyboards as reference before filming and the slow building trend to adapt comic book work, we finally have the ultimate fusion of both. Sure Sin City did amazing things with the medium and created frame-by-frame transfers from drawing to celluloid, however, it was still shot as a movie first and foremost. Zack Snyder has done something different with 300; he has created a true work of art. Frank Miller’s story was one steeped in truth…

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REVIEW: Trailer Park Boys: The Movie [2006]

“The Big Dirty” The cult tv show from Canada has really surprised me with how fresh the comedy has stayed throughout its six year duration. When I first heard about the jump to the big screen, I wasn’t quite sure how to take it. Most half hour shows that get feature film updates really feel forced and dragged out like the writers took their next show idea and filled it up to last an hour and a half. With a show like “Trailer Park Boys” I sensed that something like…

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REVIEW: Black Snake Moan [2007]

“This little light of mine” Craig Brewer is now officially a writer/director for whom I will see any film by, no matter how bad it may look. His debut, Hustle and Flow, was one of my favorites from that year, with its emotionally charged storyline and realistic, fallible characters. I wasn’t quite sure what I would end up thinking after seeing this sophomore effort. The cast seemed great, the trailer used music effectively, however, it seemed like there was a good chance it would cross into absurdity, and fast. Fortunately,…

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REVIEW: Notes on a Scandal [2006]

“Bound by the secrets we share” Talk about an unhealthy obsession. Notes on a Scandal is a tale told through the diary entries of a disturbed older woman whose newfound friendship with the first time art teacher soon becomes a dangerous infatuation. When the new teacher becomes involved with a student, our narrator Barbara, begins to use her knowledge of the infraction as a means to emotionally and psychologically blackmail the woman she loves. These are unsavory characters living lives inside upper middle class society, an environment that very well…

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REVIEW: The Iron Giant [1999]

“Duck and cover” I finally took the time to see writer/director Brad Bird’s first foray into feature length film with The Iron Giant. Hearing how great of a film it was and the success of his Pixar debut The Incredibles, I’ve been seeing the movie on my shelf for a while now, just waiting to finally be viewed. If you thought his last movie had heart, you need to see this one. While being based on a book, I’m not sure if it is the original source material or Bird’s…

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