Movie-Op
Bio: Write a movie review blog at movie-op.blogspot.com.
Recent Ratings
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7 56% | Dazed and Confused (1993) - Rated 25 Jun 2015
"Linklater evokes the joy and boredom that comes with teenage meandering, but the film's lack of structure makes for some dull moments."
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7 56% | Laggies (2014) - Rated 22 Jun 2015
"It's a feel-good, almost fairy tale world where the main character is given the space she needs to grow. Knightly, Moretz, and co-star Sam Rockwell keep you invested in the slightly silly story, and there's enough good-natured humor peppered in to leave you smiling as you leave the theater."
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8 80% | The Voices (2015) - Rated 22 Jun 2015
"A dark, weirdly funny story that will appeal to those who enjoyed 2012's Cabin in the Woods. Much credit has to go to screenwriter Michael R. Perry, who manages to make main character Jerry likable despite his homicidal streak. With much of the story being filtered through Jerry's perception, Satrapi is able to play with the visuals, jumping between what Jerry sees and the reality of his situation to hilarious effect. This is an empathetic film, but first and foremost it's insanely funn"
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7 56% | Elephant Song (2015) - Rated 22 Jun 2015
"It's a tense cat-and-mouse game between a mentally ill but highly intelligent young man and the psychiatric staff trying to discover the whereabouts of a missing colleague. The central trio, played by Xavier Dolan, Bruce Greenwood, and Catherine Keener, are well-cast, more than capable of handling the loaded dialogue they must quickly spit out. Kudos also to the cinematography, which employs inventive framing to keep the visuals as interesting as the story."
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5 26% | Revenge of the Green Dragons (2014) - Rated 22 Jun 2015
"It fits comfortably next to every other gangster movie you've ever seen. Dragons is entirely competent: well-filmed, well-acted, etc. This makes it even more disappointing that the filmmakers didn't reach for more. Frankly, I'm tired of these violent, troubled men movies. There's a million of them, with more being made every day, so settling for the basics isn't going to impress me. But hey, Harry Shum Jr. from Glee does shoot people. Didn't see that coming."
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7 56% | Tales of the Grim Sleeper (2014) - Rated 22 Jun 2015
"It explores the streets of south central LA, delving into how this killer was able to remain active for 25 years. Interviews eventually lead to a former prostitute named Pam, whose big personality and street connections make the investigation bound along quickly. Given the material, this a remarkably funny film (thanks Pam), and the methods it uses to lay out its findings are beyond reproach. Unfortunately, the answers they find are nothing new, which leaves the film lacking a punch."
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5 26% | Bang Bang Baby (2015) - Rated 22 Jun 2015
"Bang Bang Baby is your average 1960s sci-fi musical, by which I mean, it's one of the most original movies I've ever seen. Stylized to the max, the film is intentionally unrealistic, bathing the actors in light and surrounding them with lush production designs. But there's a darkness underlying everything, and if the ending means what I think it does, then this is an extraordinarily sad story. The style was too much for my taste, but I was certainly never bored by this one."
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10 99% | Mommy (2014) - Rated 22 Jun 2015
"The film doesn't demonize any of the characters, no matter how many wrong turns they make, and lovingly shows the way that families can be made and broken. This was the only film I saw in 2014 to achieve what Roger Ebert called elevation, to the tune of Oasis's growling Wonderwall. Unfortunately, this film just misses all-time greatness with an ending that seems unsure of when to stop."
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8 80% | Far from Men (2015) - Rated 22 Jun 2015
"Delivering a stubbornly complex depiction of two men caught up in the Algerian War and touching on issues of ethnic misunderstanding and the far-reaching effects of war, Far From Men is a thematically rich piece. There is some fat that could be chewed off, but the film plays out as a delicately balanced slow burn. Algeria appears rough, unforgiving, and undeniably beautiful in this elegantly shot, thought provoking piece."
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5 26% | Two Days, One Night (2014) - Rated 22 Jun 2015
"It is effective in getting us behind Cotillard's Sandra. She seeks out each coworker individually, and although the conversations threaten to become repetitive, you slowly begin to notice the subtle changes in each interaction. Through this, you're able to track Sandra's precarious mental state, which is actually portrayed rather subtly. While that's a nice change-up from the more grandiose depictions of the illness, but it never rang true to me. It was all just a bit too neat for my"
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