REVIEW: Made of Honor [2008]

“A long line of Athels” The most I can ask for when sitting down to watch a romantic comedy as obvious and clichéd as Made of Honor is to be entertained. Going in I knew there was no way it could wow me, but I did see a glimmer of potential. After the credits rolled, I must admit, I thought to myself that I wouldn’t mind checking it out again in the future if the opportunity presented itself. That said, don’t go thinking I’m going to go buy the dvd…

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REVIEW: Iron Man [2008]

“Don’t waste it” There was a big question mark looming over the theatrical adaptation of Marvel’s Iron Man property. It was in the guise of director Jon Favreau. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the Favs, but when I heard he was helming a big budget comic book flick … let’s just say I was a little worried. Once his cast was set and the fanboys started humming across the internet I started to ease into the decision with high anticipation. Thankfully, after finally seeing the finished product, I…

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REVIEW: Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay [2008]

“Y2K?” If you enjoyed Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and have any reservations about the sequel, fear not. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay may not be quite the same as its predecessor, but it brings enough of the story mechanics back and the stoner humor that made it a cult success. Writers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, also serving as directors this time around, have upped the ante like the sequel cliché goes. There is more nudity, (with a bottomless party, how could there not?), a…

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Babel allows Kiran Desai to finally see The Niagara Falls

Just Buffalo Literary Center ended their inaugural Babel series with a wonderful speech from Indian novelist Kiran Desai about her work “The Inheritance of Loss.” After a good two years speaking in front of auditoriums, relaying her manifesto to bore those in attendance to sleep, she decided to just come in and “talk in every which way” from the seat of her pants, anecdotally. Beginning with tales of her grandparents and their influence on her novel, Desai tells of how we are now all being “brought up to leave” our…

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REVIEW: Lars and the Real Girl [2007]

“Are you sure? It’s not growing back” I was very worried about how I would take Lars and the Real Girl. Despite an Oscar nominated script, a cast of some of my favorites, and a quirky enough plot to pique my interest, I still had many people in whom I trust their judgment telling me that it was horrible. That right there tells you how different each and everyone of us are and how tastes are fickle and unique. I really liked this film more than I ever could have…

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REVIEW: Baby Mama [2008]

“My avatar is dressed like a whore” Say what you will about the marketing machine, but I truly think the people behind promoting Baby Mama did a bang up job … even if I believe they did so without trying. They make expectations so low in the trailer that you almost have to enjoy the film. Was it a great comedy? No. However, it was much better than I ever could have hoped as Michael McCullers takes us places you never would expect going in. I thought that it would…

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REVIEW: Die Fälscher [The Counterfeiters] [2007]

“A day is a day” It is very interesting how it seems that every film about the Holocaust becomes a modern classic. Die Fälscher [The Counterfeiters] is the latest attempt to breathe life into the subject by showing a true tale of how the Nazis bankrolled the end of the war with fake currency. The story itself is very intriguing and worth a history lesson, but as far as a film, what we really are given is one more concentration camp experience. There are the Nazis inflicting brutality on the…

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REVIEW: Snow Angels [2008]

“There are good people” Finally I have seen a David Gordon Green film. After all the praise I’ve heard based on his previous efforts, it almost came to the point where my first experience might have been his forthcoming Seth Rogen stoner comedy Pineapple Express rather than the indie dramas he is acclaimed for. Luckily Buffalo was able to secure his latest work, Snow Angels, for limited release so that I could see him in his element. This film is quite fantastic; a character study of a small town and…

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REVIEW: Forgetting Sarah Marshall [2008]

“I’ll equalize you” Forgetting Sarah Marshall had all the potential to fall into one of two camps: unbridled raunchy fun a la 40 Year Old Virgin and Superbad or sentimentality masked as comedy like Knocked Up. I had all the fear that it would hit the latter taking the sensitive guy with the broken heart too far into romance territory, letting the laughs fall by the wayside once the conclusion comes along. Thankfully, though, while the train took some turns down that path, writer/star Jason Segel knew what he was…

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REVIEW: The Bank Job [2008]

“Knee-deep in fried chicken” I think the fact that The Bank Job is based on a true story makes it more intriguing then it possibly should. As a whole, the film is pretty standard fare for the genre, a bunch of amateurs attempting a huge heist, government conspiracies behind it all, secrets at every turn, and of course the romantic angle of two lovers who can never be together. Really the fact that it is true shouldn’t make a difference, but for some reason it does. Honestly, the plot of…

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REVIEW: Street Kings [2008]

“I’m already packed” What I love about David Ayer’s work is that he is unpredictable and unafraid to tell a story in all its brutality. From his penned script Training Day to his directorial debut in Harsh Times, we are treated with bad men and worse men, doing what they need to survive and not worrying about the consequences. When I saw the trailer for his new film Street Kings, I thought I’d be in for a three-peat, but I should have looked at the writing credits. Don’t get me…

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