REVIEW: Beverly Hills Cop [1984]

“We got cocaine and coffee here. We’re gonna get wired and have a big party.” It isn’t difficult to believe why Beverly Hills Cop received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. The laughs are huge, the characters more complex than simply facilitators of plot progression, and the central mystery a solid criminal investigation despite being relegated to the background as a MacGuffin used to evolve relationships and build trust between Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) and the cops he messes with along the way. The surprise comes from reading about…

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REVIEW: Identity Thief [2013]

“Foxhole! The safe word is Foxhole!” The words “from the director of Horrible Bosses” instilled little hope for me sitting down to Seth Gordon‘s newest work Identity Thief. Screenwriter Craig Mazan‘s name—he of too many asinine spoofs—only made matters worse. No, this road comedy’s saving grace would have to be co-star Melissa McCarthy and the level of hysterics she has unfailingly brought since breaking out in Bridesmaids. The fact her role of Diana was rewritten specifically for her after original intentions called for a man shows how high her star…

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REVIEW: The Bounty Hunter [2010]

“Nope, I’m gonna shoot a cab driver” Thank you Andy Tennant for your contribution to the beloved, in my mind, 90s television show “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose,” but what have you done for me lately? Please don’t say The Bounty Hunter because that was 110 minutes of pure boredom. Have we really gotten to the point where Hollywood thinks that if you put a crime in the middle of a romantic comedy that men will want to see it? Did You Hear About the Morgans? proved that the idea can…

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REVIEW: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid [1969]

“For a gunman, you’re one hell of a pessimist” Director George Roy Hill had a little success when working with Paul Newman: two Best Picture and Best Director nominees with classics The Sting and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid along with a cult classic in the hockey comedy Slap Shot. The Sting is one of my favorite films and so when the opportunity presented itself to see the first pairing of Hill, Newman, and Robert Redford on the big screen, I had to take advantage. Being the earliest success…

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REVIEW: Midnight Run [1988]

“I’ll bury this telephone in your head” Gigli. That is all I have to say to begin this review. You may ask why, and I will tell you. Director Martin Brest has not worked in Hollywood since the debacle that was Gigli. After a decade and a half of quality films, his career was destroyed by the pairing of super couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. I really enjoy Meet Joe Black, (besides the ending); find Beverly Hills Cop to be highly entertaining; and have heard good things about Scent…

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