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8/10
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Extraordinary Measures
(2010)
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Abbie Bernstein
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Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford star in a pretty good fact-based drama in the same medical subgenre as LORENZO'S OIL
Posted Jan 22, 2010
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7/10
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Legion
(2010)
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Abbie Bernstein
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Paul Bettany is a de-winged angel and Dennis Quaid is a rural business owner in this up-and-down riff on subject matter covered in PROPHECY, TERMINATOR and SUPERNATURAL (to name a few precedents), mostly confined to a diner
Posted Jan 22, 2010
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8/10
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I Sell the Dead
(2008)
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Abbie Bernstein
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We're in a land of shadows, claws and wry observation, and for those who adore this sort of thing, I SELL THE DEAD is a rare treat.
Posted Aug 13, 2009
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B
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A Perfect Getaway
(2009)
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Abbie Bernstein
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Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich, Kiele Sanchez and Steve Zahn topline a playful take on the psycho killer couple thriller
Posted Aug 07, 2009
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4/5
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Friday the 13th -- A New Beginning
(1985)
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Peter Brown
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The newly released Deluxe Edition offers some great new special features, an excellent remastering to an underrated film in the series.
Posted Jun 17, 2009
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8/10
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The Taking of Pelham 123
(2009)
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Abbie Bernstein
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THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123 is solid action thriller filmmaking with some real thrills and strong character work. Viewers will come away mostly fulfilled, though perhaps wishing the train had gone the extra half-mile for its climax.
Posted Jun 12, 2009
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2/10
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X-Men Origins: Wolverine
(2009)
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Carl Cortez
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Egads! One of the worst comic book movie adaptations, since, well PUNISHER: WAR ZONE
Posted May 06, 2009
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6/10
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Friday the 13th
(2009)
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Abbie Bernstein
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It's not that the new FRIDAY THE 13TH is bad. It just doesn't feel new, and yet doesn't deliver the old shocks with the zest of horrific discovery that made the original and its better follow-ups so iconic.
Posted Feb 13, 2009
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8/10
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The International
(2009)
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Abbie Bernstein
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Because banks all over the world are in such turmoil now, THE INTERNATIONAL seems dated by six months to a year. However, if you like watching law enforcement personnel working on a big, non-standard crime, this is pretty good.
Posted Feb 13, 2009
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4/10
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Boogeyman 3
(2008)
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Peter Brown
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Well, if you are really desperate for a horror movie -BOOGEYMAN 3 is the one to look for. If there is something else on the shelves or at Netflix that looks or seems better - anything at all - check that out instead.
Posted Feb 13, 2009
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6/10
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Friday the 13th Part 3
(1982)
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Peter Brown
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Obviously, first time in 3D is cool and the digital cut while better, still lacks some serious crystal clear and clean print. Plus, no special features?
Posted Feb 05, 2009
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9/10
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Repo! The Genetic Opera
(2008)
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Peter Brown
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REPO! is overall just a lot of fun. From the catchy numbers, to the sexy cast, to the original ideas, to an ample load of bodies and mayhem, it is worthwhile checking out and enjoying.
Posted Jan 27, 2009
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8/10
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Donkey Punch
(2008)
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Abbie Bernstein
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British thriller about seven college-age Britons in Spain who come together for an afternoon of flirting and wind up having a night of sex, paranoia and murder
Posted Jan 27, 2009
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7/10
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The Alphabet Killer
(2008)
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Abbie Bernstein
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Fans of Dushku will get their money's worth. However, the rest of THE ALPHABET KILLER doesn't spell either good detective work or true spectral horror.
Posted Nov 14, 2008
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8/10
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Quantum of Solace
(2008)
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Abbie Bernstein
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It would be hard to top the legend-relaunching force of CASINO ROYALE. QUANTUM OF SOLACE wisely doesn't try, contenting itself and us with being a good if unexceptional entry in the Bond franchise.
Posted Nov 14, 2008
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8/10
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The Express
(2008)
|
Abbie Bernstein
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THE EXPRESS isn't the sports movie equivalent of what Ernie Davis was to football in his day, but it still plays a pretty good game.
Posted Oct 10, 2008
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8/10
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Body of Lies
(2008)
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Abbie Bernstein
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Where BODY OF LIES does succeed very well is in demonstrating the multitude of ways in which even very well-thought-out plans to make the world safer can become not only corrupted but can also be hopelessly compromised by other likewise world-safety-minde
Posted Oct 10, 2008
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8/10
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RocknRolla
(2008)
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Abbie Bernstein
|
There's just a lingering sense that, in his eagerness to get to the "good stuff" of character riffs and general coolness, Ritchie neglects plot and pacing. By its own standards, then, ROCKNROLLA as a movie is a proper player, but not quite a true rocknrol
Posted Oct 09, 2008
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9.5/10
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The Thing
(1982)
|
Peter Brown
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On Blu-ray, Picture-in-picture (PIP) documentary that runs alongside the main feature. This is the old documentary, but still cool that you can see both simultaneously which is way cool. Plus there is a new audio commentary with Kurt Russell and Carpenter
Posted Oct 01, 2008
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2.5/5
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Righteous Kill
(2008)
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Abbie Bernstein
|
There are some flashes of wit here, but the value of narrative surprise, especially when we're expecting one of some kind, only goes so far. RIGHTEOUS KILL relies far too much on what it's got up its sleeve and doesn't pay enough attention to what it's sh
Posted Sep 12, 2008
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7/10
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Burn After Reading
(2008)
|
Abbie Bernstein
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There's a lot of cleverness here, but neither heart nor a spirit of true insanity. BURN AFTER READING is watchable for a number of reasons, but it never really heats up.
Posted Sep 12, 2008
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8/10
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Traitor
(2008)
|
Abbie Bernstein
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TRAITOR seems to want to be a little more articulate than it winds up being in discussions of the concept of the greater good and the cost of role-playing. However, the questions it brings up are potent and its structure as a thriller is so strong, with s
Posted Aug 28, 2008
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8/10
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Death Race
(2008)
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Abbie Bernstein
|
The upshot is that DEATH RACE trips over its own machinations in a number of areas, but if you want to see Jason Statham and/or over-the-top vehicular mayhem, there have been worse showcases for both.
Posted Aug 24, 2008
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6/10
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars
(2008)
|
Abbie Bernstein
|
It would seem Nietzsche's famous saying has been disproved. STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS won't kill us - or the STAR WARS franchise - but it won't make any of us stronger, either.
Posted Aug 15, 2008
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8/10
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Mirrors
(2008)
|
Abbie Bernstein
|
Kiefer Sutherland as a man having worse days than Jack Bauer ever has.
Posted Aug 15, 2008
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8/10
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Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
(2007)
|
Carl Cortez
|
JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER is definitely an ode to the EVIL DEAD franchise, as a hapless hero is plunged into heroics by demonic forces.
Posted Aug 15, 2008
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8/10
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Sixty Six
(2006)
|
Abbie Bernstein
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Eddie Marsan, Helena Bonham Carter, Stephen Rea and DR. WHO's Catherine Tate in a dramedy about a bar mitzvah vs. the World Cup in London
Posted Aug 08, 2008
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8/10
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Transsiberian
(2008)
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Abbie Bernstein
|
TRANSSIBERIAN is another one of those movies that seems like an advertisement for never going outside one's own neighborhood. Trips to Eastern Europe seem particularly ill-advised from the looks of, for example, the HOSTEL films and FRONTIERE(S).
Posted Aug 08, 2008
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8/10
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The Dark Knight
(2008)
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Abbie Bernstein
|
Nolan and Co. do weave an enormous and gratifyingly textured tapestry of plot, giving unexpectedly affecting moments to characters we initially see as mere background figures.
Posted Jul 18, 2008
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7/10
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Journey to the Center of the Earth
(2008)
|
Abbie Bernstein
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JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH is ultimately pleasant enough, though it's hardly the definitive adaptation of Verne's work. The freshest aspect of it is Fraser's conviction.
Posted Jul 11, 2008
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9/10
|
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
(2008)
|
Abbie Bernstein
|
Mixing lore from Mike Mignola's comics (Del Toro and Mignola collaborated on the new film's story) with old European fairy folklore and what seems like a touch of homage to Hayao Miyazaki (not to forget J.R.R. Tolkien), HELLBOY II is something to both beh
Posted Jul 11, 2008
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8/10
|
I Am Legend
(2007)
|
Peter Brown
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The CGI is great and while this takes away from the creepiness factor that the book had, the landscape and environment are amazing seeing grass growing in the city, deer roaming the streets and more.
Posted Mar 18, 2008
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6/10
|
Waitress
(2007)
|
Peter Brown
|
Keri Russell stars as an über pie-making genius in a dead-end job with an abusive husband that longs for more in her life including her own pie shop and her OBGYN, played by FIREFLY/SERENITY's Nathan Fillion. A quirky, deadpan comedy with gorgeous pies an
Posted Nov 27, 2007
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8/10
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Outland
(1981)
|
Peter Brown
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The film has been out of print since the late '90s on DVD and this is a new digital transfer of the film. Not much else on the DVD besides the film and the special effects are a bit dated but this is still a sci-fi tale worthy of your collection.
Posted Nov 27, 2007
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B+
|
American Gangster
(2007)
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Abbie Bernstein
|
Steven Zaillian's intelligent, perceptive screenplay, inspired by an article on Lucas entitled "The Return of Superfly" by Mark Jacobson, doesn't go exactly where we expect. There are moments of real surprise here, moments of odd satisfaction.
Posted Nov 02, 2007
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C
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Bee Movie
(2007)
|
Abbie Bernstein
|
Indeed, Bee Moive is full of half-thought-through notions. Much is at first made of Barry's "romance" with a human, voiced by Renee Zellweger, but any potential problems in the friendship are dropped without discussion midway through.
Posted Nov 02, 2007
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B-
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Saw IV
(2007)
|
Abbie Bernstein
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Director Darren Lynn Bousman sees to it that Saw IV fulfills the franchise's ethos of inventive, gory sadism and grungy, creepy surroundings faithfully and creatively.
Posted Oct 29, 2007
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B
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Gone Baby Gone
(2007)
|
Abbie Bernstein
|
You have to admire director Affleck and his co-screenwriter Aaron Stockard for having the guts to tackle material this morally complex, and for keeping most of Lehane's twists while condensing them into something that fits coherently into a two-hour film.
Posted Oct 19, 2007
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C-
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Sleuth
(2007)
|
Abbie Bernstein
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Topping off the new SLEUTH's problems is Law's performance.We need to believe Milo at least could be in earnest some of the time, not feel that he's obviously full of baloney the whole time (especially in those instances where it turns out that he's being
Posted Oct 12, 2007
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B+
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The Hunting Party
(2007)
|
Abbie Bernstein
|
Even though the tone moves into tragedy on occasion, filmmaker Shepard maintains a sense of ironic "can you believe this?" humor that serves the story's events well.
Posted Sep 07, 2007
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A-
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Shoot 'Em Up
(2007)
|
Abbie Bernstein
|
Shoot 'em Up is so fast and fanny and perfectly attuned to what it's doing that it's as if director/writer Michael Davis has put all the elements of entertaining violent action flicks in a centrifuge and distilled them down to their essence.
Posted Sep 07, 2007
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B
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3:10 to Yuma
(2007)
|
Abbie Bernstein
|
Mangold and the writers find the action potential in the Western format and ride the hell out of it. Fight and chase sequences are striking, even thrilling.
Posted Sep 07, 2007
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D+
|
Balls of Fury
(2007)
|
Abbie Bernstein
|
Yes, it's racist and homophobic, but those are actually secondary concerns. Mainly, it's just not funny. There's no reason to pick on Balls of Fury unduly, but unless you are a diehard fan of any of the parties involved, there's no reason to see it
Posted Aug 31, 2007
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B
|
September Dawn
(2006)
|
Abbie Bernstein
|
September Dawn has emotional weight, but rather than having an air of conviction, it makes one want to reach for the history books, which may not be a bad thing at that.
Posted Aug 24, 2007
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B+
|
Right at Your Door
(2006)
|
Abbie Bernstein
|
By not hammering at the points that surface organically here, Gorak gets us to ask ourselves a lot of questions, for which there may not be any clear answers, even as we are engrossed with what's happening to the characters. The combination of these facto
Posted Aug 24, 2007
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A-
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Death at a Funeral
(2007)
|
Abbie Bernstein
|
Part of the fun here is when we can guess what's coming, part of the fun is when we're blindsided, and all of the fun is in seeing how Oz, Craig and the perfectly chosen cast sail through it as though it's the most real ongoing situation ever.
Posted Aug 17, 2007
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B+
|
Stardust
(2007)
|
Abbie Bernstein
|
There are times when Stardust feels a little confined, either due to Vaughn's liking of close shots or due to budget constraints. However, it is mostly a very pleasing fantasy, with conviction in its storytelling and a sense of magic in its heart.
Posted Aug 09, 2007
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C-
|
Rush Hour 3
(2007)
|
Abbie Bernstein
|
The trouble is, without at least character consistency, the set pieces are usually only good for a chuckle, if that, and when Ratner and Nathanson try for some John Woo-style dramatics, the results are flat.
Posted Aug 09, 2007
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C-
|
Descent
(2007)
|
Abbie Bernstein
|
On the one hand,trying something new and the statement they want to make is laudable. However, the distanced style, hard grainy lighting and extremely lengthy rape sequences make Descent not only often unpalatable but also mostly just plain dull.
Posted Aug 09, 2007
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A-
|
The Bourne Ultimatum
(2007)
|
Abbie Bernstein
|
Thanks to director Greengrass, editor Christopher Rouse and the very astute and adept actors and stunt performers, the hand-to-hand combat is almost shocking in its brutality. Even though blood is kept to a minimum, the sheer sense of violence, physical e
Posted Aug 03, 2007
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