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Volcano (1997, Mick Jackson)
I’m trying to remember why I queued Volcano. I’ve recently been on a “rediscovering the mid-to-late 1990s” kick, so that reason is possible, but I’m pretty sure it was because Anne Heche was in it and...
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Ocean’s Twelve (2004, Steven Soderbergh)
The amusement factor. Does that term even make any sense? Ocean’s Twelve is, in case anyone watching it was confused (which I find hard to believe, but of the principals, only George Clooney makes...
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Ocean’s Thirteen (2007, Steven Soderbergh)
A friend of mine thinks this entry is the series’s most successful, but–while it is a tad confrontational–I prefer the outright hostility to the average viewer the second one exhibits. Ocean’s Thirteen...
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Traitor (2008, Jeffrey Nachmanoff)
Traitor is the Superman IV of terrorism movies. I suppose I need to explain. I think Tom Mankiewicz once told Christopher Reeve you couldn’t have Superman messing around with the real world. Traitor is...
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Boogie Nights (1997, Paul Thomas Anderson)
Boogie Nights is so well-made, so stunningly made–I’m not even thinking about Anderson’s wonderful, lengthy steadicam sequences, I’m thinking about Philip Seymour Hoffman alone in his freshly painted...
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Brooklyn’s Finest (2009, Antoine Fuqua)
When Richard Gere gives the best lead performance in a film, it’s definitely a problem. Gere doesn’t bring any gravitas to this role–a retiring police officer–and, when it gets to his redemption, it’s...
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Iron Man 2 (2010, Jon Favreau)
Even with its problems, Iron Man 2 is leagues better than the original. There’s some awkward plotting to catch the viewer up with the characters and it all makes for a wonderfully boring superhero...
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Iron Man 3 (2013, Shane Black)
Iron Man 3 feels a lot like the end of the series, which isn’t a bad thing–Robert Downey Jr. does the hero’s journey thing quite well–but director Black handles it oddly. After spending the entire...
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Mission to Mars (2000, Brian De Palma)
If it had been made earlier–even with the same flawed script–Mission to Mars would probably have been more successful. Many of its failings relate to the CG special effects. Stephen H. Burum is...
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Flight (2012, Robert Zemeckis)
There are so many easy targets in Flight. Not really the acting, even though a lot of the supporting cast is phoning it in. They’re good actors–Don Cheadle, John Goodman (doing a riff on Big...
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Mission to Mars (2000, Brian De Palma)
If it had been made earlier–even with the same flawed script–Mission to Mars would probably have been more successful. Many of its failings relate to the CG special effects. Stephen H. Burum is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995, Carl Franklin)
Devil in a Blue Dress is almost so much better. Director Franklin gets easily distracted and follows tangents, both in the script and the directing. The latter makes sense–he’s always too enthuastic...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mission to Mars (2000, Brian De Palma)
If it had been made earlier–even with the same flawed script–Mission to Mars would probably have been more successful. Many of its failings relate to the CG special effects. Stephen H. Burum is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995, Carl Franklin)
Devil in a Blue Dress is almost so much better. Director Franklin gets easily distracted and follows tangents, both in the script and the directing. The latter makes sense–he’s always too enthuastic...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mission to Mars (2000, Brian De Palma)
If it had been made earlier–even with the same flawed script–Mission to Mars would probably have been more successful. Many of its failings relate to the CG special effects. Stephen H. Burum is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995, Carl Franklin)
Devil in a Blue Dress is almost so much better. Director Franklin gets easily distracted and follows tangents, both in the script and the directing. The latter makes sense–he’s always too enthuastic...
View ArticleThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) s01e01 – New World Order
So, when this episode started, I thought the thing to discuss would be the very obvious Pentagon underwriting of the script. Falcon (Anthony Mackie) is now working for the Air Force… he’s going into...
View ArticleIron Man 2 (2010, Jon Favreau)
Even with its problems, Iron Man 2 is leagues better than the original. There’s some awkward plotting to catch the viewer up with the characters and it all makes for a wonderfully boring superhero...
View ArticleIron Man 3 (2013, Shane Black)
Iron Man 3 feels a lot like the end of the series, which isn’t a bad thing–Robert Downey Jr. does the hero’s journey thing quite well–but director Black handles it oddly. After spending the entire...
View ArticleOut of Sight (1998, Steven Soderbergh)
Right up until the third act, Out of Sight has a series of edifying flashbacks, which reveal important facts in the ground situation; almost enough to set the start of the present action back a few...
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