The Lovely Bones
Jan15

The Lovely Bones

Where’s Robin Williams? Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg By Robert Patrick Everybody, no matter what the demographic, seems to be reading Alice Sebold’s surrealistic novel, The Lovely Bones. I’m pretty sure most households, especially since the film has been released, has at least one edition of the buoyant thriller on their bookshelf. The subject matter, dealing with the mercurial dreamscape of a murdered child, lost...

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Sherlock Holmes
Dec26

Sherlock Holmes

It was _____, In the Study, With Black Magic Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law By Tom Bevis Ladies and gentleman, Guy Ritchie has gone Hollywood, and his latest offering, Sherlock Holmes, is bleeding proof.  The film boasts an undeniably mainstream cast, lead by one of America’s biggest stars today: Robert Downey, Jr.  And the costar?  Big-budget special effects, of course, things like explosions, bare-knuckle fist fights, a...

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2012
Nov13

2012

Ladies and Gentlemen, I Give You Explosions and Stuff! By Robert Patrick Dear Mr. Roland Emmerich, You have directed some monolithic films in your career that, when taken at face value, pose no direct threat to your audience. You do not lodge existential quandaries in your characters’ minds. And you certainly don’t want your protagonists to act in logical, self-preserving ways. When browsing over your resume, I realize that you have...

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Flame & Citronen
Sep18

Flame & Citronen

How to Make a Cartoon Out of History Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Thure Lindhardt By Robert Patrick Danish director, Ole Christian Madsen, races his fingers across the creased, water-stained pages of history to pluck the story of two resistance fighters, Flame and Citron, who stood as central pillars in the underground movement against Nazism in Denmark. And while Madsen’s directorial hymn to the fallen heroes of World War II is full of...

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Whiteout
Sep18

Whiteout

Snow, a Plane, and Something About a Murder Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht By Tom Bevis Comic book adaptations are a hotspot in Hollywood today, but word on the street is, few people actually knew Whiteout was based on a comic.  As always with comic book adaptations, I can go write at length about the differences in story between the comic and the film, but it’s pointless.  If you’re going to see the film instead of spending...

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District 9
Aug14

District 9

Alien Apartheid Starring: Sharlton Copley By Robert Patrick What happens when aliens make contact with us? Apparently we coral them into a ghetto in Johannesburg, watch after them for several years, then serve them eviction notices. District 9, barely a blip on the radar, is a rogue wave in the middle of conventional Hollywood blockbusters. This movie, backed by the jolly hands and twisting curls of mega director Peter Jackson, is...

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Jul13

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

More Sequels than Police Academy Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson By Robert Patrick “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” – or the more exasperating title of Harry Potter 6 – is director David Yates’ second outing behind the camera of the much heralded franchise. Before Yates was billed as the directorial successor to the mega-grossing series, he was helming such television movie classics as “Sex Traffic” and...

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Public Enemies
Jul03

Public Enemies

The Great Bank Robbery Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale By Tom Bevis A few weeks ago, while waiting for some hazy matinee to begin, I started thinking about how we haven’t had a good mobster flick in a long time.  Then, like a godsend, the trailers clicked on and lo-and-behold: Public Enemy.  The trailer gives us a promise of a fast-paced, suspense-ridden film.  The best part of it all, though, is that it’s based on one of the...

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Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Jun25

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

World War Robot: Transformers Go Global Staring: Shia LaBouf, Megan Fox By Tom Bevis Transformers really take me back to the simpler days of childhood.  The first film in the rebooted series was an entirely effective kids movie that was capable of entertaining the entire age spectrum and worked, as well, as a tour de force of the power behind the CGI movement.  The sequel is the first true blockbuster of the year, but it’s lost much...

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The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Jun12

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

You Thought the Days of Train Robberies Were Over Starring: John Travolta, Denzel Washington By Tom Bevis There is no doubting we’re in the age or remakes.  All too often, the remakes result in bland and pale imitations of the originals.  But sometimes, ever so rarely, a remake comes out to astound, to adapt perfectly to the times and stand alone as its own piece of work.  The Taking of Pelham 123 is definitely the latter. I have to...

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