Movie Reviews
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MOVIE REVIEW- Moore subtle: 'Sicko' offers prescription for change Published on Jun 28th, 2007 0 comments
I might not endorse Michael Moore for President– though considering the kind of person he'd probably be running against, I probably would– but I've endorsed all his "documentaries" as...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Ark of triumph? A uniting <i>Evan</i> has come home! Published on Jun 21st, 2007 0 comments
Evan Almighty is for those who believe in the higher power of comedy (over drama) to put a message across. In this case there are two messages, one spiritual and one political, whose believers may...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Oh, brother! 'Mr. Brooks' a model serial killer Published on Jun 7th, 2007 0 comments
Kevin Costner has had a hard time recovering from the backlash that followed his hot period, 1987-93. A great little movie like The Upside of Anger couldn't compensate for a decade of high-profile...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Jeepers! Nancy tackles 'The Blue Dehlia' Published on Jun 7th, 2007 0 comments
Director Andrew Fleming (The In-Laws, The Craft) is responsible for Nancy Drew, a cheaply made wannabe franchise, the latest attempt to bring the teen detective to the big screen. It would be a...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Not half baked: 'Waitress' a bittersweet tart of a film Published on May 24th, 2007 0 comments
A feelgood movie about spousal abuse and adultery, Waitress is the lighter side of last year's Come Early Morning, another story of a small town Southern woman trying to get her life on track.
Jenna...
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MOVIE REVIEW- From 'Virgin' to...: 'Knocked up' in one easy step Published on May 24th, 2007 0 comments
When is a chick flick not a chick flick? When it's Knocked Up, a hilarious comedy for mature people of any gender–not AARP mature, just old enough to hear dialogue that's fresh, frank, funny...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Dogged: How to make everybody mad Published on May 17th, 2007 0 comments
When you see the people in Peggy's (Molly Shannon) life, you can understand why she's so attached to her beagle, Pencil, and why she's so devastated when Pencil is erased from the universe.
There's...
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MOVIE REVIEW- 28 days: Time flies when you're having popcorn Published on May 10th, 2007 0 comments
Special to THE HOOK
It took less than 28 days for Fox to start milking the cash cow they had in the sci-fi sleeper 28 Days Later by making fans buy another ticket to see an extra minute or so of...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Webbage a trois: Spider-Man 3 reverts to type Published on May 3rd, 2007 0 comments
The first three Star Wars movies set a precedent for trilogies to peak in the middle. That changed with The Lord of the Rings and the second Star Wars trilogy, both of which saved the best for last....
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MOVIE REVIEW- Consumer alert: Step away from the multiplex Published on Apr 26th, 2007 0 comments
This has to be the worst week in the history of film reviewing, with five wide releases either not screening at all for the press (The Invisible, Wind Chill, Kickin' It Old School) or intentionally...
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MOVIE REVIEW- No man's land: Meg & you and a dog named Bozo Published on Apr 19th, 2007 0 comments
Another movie, another disappointment. Thanks, Hollywood.
The award for the most deceptive trailer of the week goes to In the Land of Women, which looks like a bright romantic comedy. Teenage girl...
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MOVIE REVIEW- High praise: Look out for ‘The Lookout'! Published on Mar 29th, 2007 0 comments
Some movies sneak up on you, but The Lookout, which should be the sleeper of the year, grabs you by the throat with its opening scene and never lets go.
Scott Frank, screenwriter of Out of Sight and...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Mimzy whimsy: 'ET' for the green generation: Published on Mar 22nd, 2007 0 comments
If you believe children are the future, you'll be a sucker for The Last Mimzy, a hippy-dippy sci-fi movie about a pair of youngsters recruited to save the planet. It's E.T. for the next, hopefully...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Rock-y marriage: Comedian's latest too true for comedy Published on Mar 15th, 2007 0 comments
Chris Rock is a hilarious stand-up comic, a decent actor in other people's movies (Nurse Betty, Dogma); and if he's not an all-around nice guy, he sure can fake it in interviews.
What he really...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Hog slog: Nothing if not a boar-ing movie Published on Mar 1st, 2007 0 comments
Not since Deliverance, which is referenced therein, has a movie about four straight men been more obsessed with, and repulsed by, the possibility of homosexual contact, than Wild Hogs.
On the surface...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Macho man: Conan the Spartan's epic history lesson Published on Mar 1st, 2007 0 comments
"Graphic" used to describe the level of sex and violence in a movie; now it refers to the source material. The latest graphic novel to reach the screen, 300, was written/drawn by Frank Miller, author...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Dangle-ing participle: Silliness reigns in Reno 911! Published on Feb 22nd, 2007 1 comments
The advantage of not belonging to the National Society of Film Critics is that one is permitted to enjoy a movie like Reno 911!: Miami without lamenting its lack of intellectual content.
As fans of...
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MOVIE REVIEW- One-joke wonder: Will 'Norbit' kill 'Dreamgirl' buzz? Published on Feb 15th, 2007 0 comments
The one joke in Norbit, Eddie Murphy's new comedy that grossed some $33 million last weeeknd, is a tired one: Murphy plays a large woman, as he did in two Nutty Professor movies, Martin Lawrence did...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Geezer porn: O'Toole hopes for one last score Published on Feb 8th, 2007 0 comments
Peter O'Toole showed the world he could act 44 years ago in Lawrence of Arabia and hasn't had to prove anything since, although he's proved it dozens more times anyway. He proves it again in Venus,...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Notes on <i>Notes:</i> Witty dialogue leavens sad story Published on Feb 1st, 2007 0 comments
The Oscar nominations got a lot more right than usual this year, including giving Letters from Iwo Jima the Best Picture and Director noms everyone thought were in the overrated Dreamgirls' pocket....
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MOVIE REVIEW- Come again? A mother of a ghost story Published on Jan 25th, 2007 0 comments
When your dead mother's ghost moves in with you, who you gonna call? No, not Ghostbusters– Pedro Almodóvar. It might give him an idea for a movie.
Oh, wait. He's already made it. It's...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Disturbing: Arthur and the inappropriates? Published on Jan 18th, 2007 2 comments
A disturbing trend emerged at the end of 2006 involving movies about underage boys and older women. It's not so bad, since it's an R-rated film for adults, that in Notes on a Scandal teacher Cate...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Dreamboys: Stompin' up a storm Published on Jan 11th, 2007 0 comments
For those people, mostly non-black, unfamiliar with step dancing, it doesn't matter, because the Atlanta-filmed Stomp the Yard moves it into the next generation. The lame-ish plot concerns a clash...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Gang buster: Swank turns student savior<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> Published on Jan 4th, 2007 2 comments
If I have to watch one more inspirational film about an educator who went the extra mile to reach and teach his or her students I think I'll puke. I always think that; but the movies, if they're any...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Sugar-cured ham: What a boring web we weave Published on Dec 14th, 2006 0 comments
Don' t plan to serve ham at Christmas if your kids have seen Charlotte' s Web. If you plan to serve any other pork product, don' t tell the young'uns what's in it, unless you want to hear, "Omigod,...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Witless: Some 'Holidays' never seem to end Published on Dec 7th, 2006 1 comments
Extolling the virtues of classic films without exhibiting them, The Holiday is as artificially inflated as a Vegas showgirl's breasts. It's a potentially cute 90-minute romantic comedy stretched to...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Pass the plate: Putting the $ back in Chri$tma$ Published on Nov 30th, 2006 0 comments
In the 21st century there's no point putting Christ back in Christmas unless you can make a buck doing it. I'm sorry if I sound cynical, but if you believe The Nativity Story was made for purely...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Taking aim: Buzz-sawing the Oscar buzz Published on Nov 23rd, 2006 0 comments
When critics tout a film's Academy Award chances in reviews, they often have an ulterior motive: 1) to be quoted in ads (e.g., "Hulk Hogan's Hamlet is Oscar-worthy" –Steve Warren); or 2) to jog...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Best yet: 'Casino Royale' tops old Bonds Published on Nov 16th, 2006 0 comments
It takes balls to tamper with a formula while it's still working. The four films with Pierce Brosnan as James Bond grossed a total of nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, with the last being by far the...
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MOVIE REVIEW- Royal strain: A great drama, 'Queen' Published on Nov 9th, 2006 0 comments
Poor Stephen Frears will never be knighted while Queen Elizabeth II lives, now that he's made The Queen, a subtly satirical mockudrama about the uneasiness of the head that wears the crown in the...
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