Movie stars often bring the baggage of their previous efforts to new projects. We’ve now seen enough of Denzel Washington doing his Denzel Washington thing to be able to guess how any film he’s in will unfold just from the trailer. This isn’t necessarily a problem – if the movie can subvert our expectations, or at least do something new with the actor’s style, it will still be entertaining. Unfortunately, Safe House does neither of these things.
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Sometimes, filmmakers use gimmicks where none are needed. Chronicle plays out like a documentary filmed by the characters, similar to movies such as The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield. But, while it does find some interesting ways to play with this concept, the gimmick ends up yanking us out of what might otherwise be an entertaining story.
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I often wonder why we’re drawn to stories where groups of people, one-by-one, get picked off by monsters, accidents, or the cruel forces of nature. I’m sure most dramatic theorists would say it’s about catharsis, the feeling of spiritual release brought about by an intense emotional experience. Personally, I think most people just like to say to themselves, “Wow. Glad that wasn’t me.”
The Grey is one such survival story, but in this case the gradual thinning of the ranks is in the service of a grander purpose. This elevates the movie’s dramatic ending, but it also renders much of the middle pointless and boring.
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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the kind of film we rely on the British to make, since Hollywood often seems incapable of producing movies that don’t constantly explain themselves to the viewer, like we are six-year-old children. Indeed, at the screening I attended, I heard more than a few whispered conversations as people tried to follow what was going on. You might call that poor storytelling, but I call it a lack of patience brought on by years of Hollywood coddling. This is a film that definitely rewards the patient viewer.
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http://www.oakville.com/articles/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-movie-review/
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows continues director Guy Ritchie’s efforts to turn the famous consulting detective into an action hero. But the more Holmes is moved in that direction, the more he moves away from the things that make the character who he is. Thus, while the sequel is fairly entertaining, it’s not as good as the first, and nowhere near many of the other stories in the Holmes canon.
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http://www.oakville.com/articles/sherlock-holmes-a-game-of-shadows-movie-review/
The great power of film is its ability to draw the viewer into a lifelike world, which is one of the best arguments for seeing movies on a big screen – when the picture fills your vision, it has that much more effect. While War Horse does pull you in with impressive visuals and a moving story, problems in the adaptation undercut the experience by continually reminding how artificial this world is.
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Director Steven Spielberg has spent nearly 30 years trying to bring The Adventures of Tintin to the big screen. The popular comics by Belgian artist Hergé have a worldwide fan base, but more so in Europe than in North America, which may limit the film’s appeal on these shores. Lack of knowledge of these stories should not deter you from seeing this movie, however. More than just an excellent family film, it’s an action-adventure on par with some of Spielberg’s best work.
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http://www.oakville.com/articles/the-adventures-of-tintin-movie-review/
via reoiv.com
By way of full disclosure, I should mention at the start that I have not read Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, the bestselling Swedish mystery novels featuring punk hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist. I also haven’t seen the trio of films originally made for Swedish television that were released to worldwide cinema two years ago. What I have seen is director David Fincher’s North American adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and while it’s not perfect, it’s a riveting experience that will stay with you.
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http://www.oakville.com/articles/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-movie-review/
In real life, Tom Cruise inspires more eye rolls than excitement these days, but in the movies, he can still do the opposite. No matter how crazy the stunts or gadgets get in his Mission: Impossible movies, they still remain wild thrill rides. The sub-titled Ghost Protocol, fourth in the series, is just as good as the previous ones, even if the missions are beginning to seem a little less impossible.
Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:
http://www.oakville.com/articles/mission-impossible-ghost-protocol-movie-review/