Smoke
Sometimes, a film tries too hard to be a film. Smoke has dialogue that is incredibly stiff. It makes one wonder if this was a screenplay adaptation of a play or a novel. But it isn’t. The dialogue is simply trying to be what it thinks dialogue in a film is. The drama too
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The Lorax
The Lorax is a popular installment of a Dr. Seuss children’s story concerning environmentalism. It felt obligatory to see the film less than a year out of its release date. It is childish, but not in a patronizing way. It holds children’s intelligence as something respectable, allowing the morale to be scrutinized in a pedantic
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The Untouchables
Quite simply, this is cartoonish, even comedic, Hollywood action-fest at its finest. Power is the only virtue to be held, and whoever wields the gun that sends his opponent to the morgue over the hospital is the hero. There is no drama to this film, only bullets flying around a 1930’s set decoration. Mr.
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Gomorrah
How does one escape poverty? What opportunities are presented to those impoverished to improve their material well-being? What is poverty in general? Gomorrah answers all three questions. The solutions to the questions are not idyllic. They all involve gang-violence, Italian style. Or, Mafioso. The film does not center itself on anyone character in this
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Bottle Shock
Despite having a great (albeit mostly notable) cast, the premise of the plot is incredibly difficult to orchestrate, and we are left with hallow characters that distract from the short sequences of Napa panoramics. “The Judgment in Paris” as it is called, shook the wine world. In a blind taste testing, Napa wines outdid French
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Super 8
The Goonies this isn’t. Though there is a semblance of that famed pre-adolescent (or “tween”) adventure film, Super 8 has a more transparent morale about overcoming adversity in life. this morale is masked in summer blockbuster antics. And indeed, this has the feel of appeasement to the summer movie-goer. While this is disappointing in some
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