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‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ is more smarm than charm

There’s a hilarious moment in the classic ‘80s comedy Planes, Trains & Automobiles when Steve Martin has finally had enough of John Candy’s inane anecdotes. “When you’re telling these little stories,” he instructs Candy, “here’s a good idea… have a point. It makes it so much more interesting for the listener!” If only the makers of the new spy actioner Kingsman: The Secret Service had taken that advice. Despite all of its self-satisfied smugness, Kingsman neglects to give us a coherent story, consistent tone, or anything worth caring about. It’s ironic that a film trying so hard to be inventive and outrageous ends up being such a derivative bore.

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‘Interstellar’ is a bumpy, exhilarating ride

Interstellar begins at an indeterminate point in Earth’s future, when blight and drought are pushing humanity to the breaking point. “This world is a treasure, but it’s been telling us to leave for a long time now,” laments engineer-turned-farmer, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey). He’s a practical man who set aside dreams of space travel in order to provide for his family, and yet his powerful intellect keeps him sneaking glances skyward. When he and his precocious daughter, Murph (Mackenzie Foy), decipher mysterious signals directing them to random GPS coordinates, Cooper is only too eager to indulge his curiosity.

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‘Interstellar’ is only haphazardly successful

I really jibe with what Interstellar is trying to accomplish. I want big budget films to aim intellectually and emotionally high. I agree with most of its messages and themes. I am the choir it is preaching to. Which makes it all the more disappointing that the movie is, in the most charitable view, only haphazardly successful. There are aspects to love about the movie — it’s the best-looking blockbuster in years, and there are some truly enrapturing moments. but that’s scattered among strings of misaimed beats across a punishing, nearly three-hour runtime.

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Film Vs. Novelization: ‘Jaws: The Revenge’

It’s rare that a film is unanimously considered one of the worst of all time, but almost every bottom ten list manages to find room for the fourth entry in the Jaws franchise. Be it the ambiguous nature of the title (who, exactly, is taking revenge?), the wooden performances or the rubber monster haunting the cast on …

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How The Dark Knight Rises proves that House M.D is a superhero

Fiction always has a habit of overlapping, whether intentionally or not, since storytelling is built on only a few choice templates. Your plot can include three headed aliens in an intergalactic pissing contest with ghost humans, or simply be a gritty fable about the perils of alcoholism and social stigma, it doesn’t matter. The plot …

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‘Now You See Me’ a toxic blend of arrogance and ludicrousness

“Some things are better left unexplained,” a character intones at one point in Now You See Me, a wise lesson that the film’s trio of screenwriters should’ve taken to heart. This heist film, in which a quartet of magicians are highly intelligent thieves (or are they?), becomes more nonsensical and inexplicable the more we learn about how these tricksters have robbed banks (or have they?) and sent federal agents on various wild-goose chases (or were…well, you get the idea).

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How ‘Sleuth’s lavish manor setting is a thinly veiled asylum of mind trickery

The soul of a house lies within he who inhabits it; and indeed, Sleuth’s (1972) grandiose stately manor, tucked away in the Wiltshire countryside – with its immaculate courtyard lined with statuettes and finely trimmed grass – is as precise a representation of Andrew Wyke (Laurence Olivier) and his ostentatious persona as any. A personal …

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On Blu-ray, ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ comes to life once more

As much as you may want to fight it—OK, as much as I may want to fight it—the Christmas season continues to start earlier and earlier each year. This year, it’s safe to say that Disney assumes Christmas begins right after Halloween ends, as evidenced by their newest catalog release on Blu-ray, the 1992 family …

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‘Cockneys vs. Zombies’ Movie Review – a raucous and entertaining zombie comedy

Cockneys vs. Zombies Directed by Matthias Hoene Written by James Moran and Lucas Roche UK, 2012 As with something like Snakes on a Plane, Cockneys vs. Zombies derives much of its promise and purpose from the title. How you enjoy the film is contingent on how well it manifests said title, so, by that very …

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‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is entertaining, compelling, intense, and incredibly ambitious

The Dark Knight Rises Directed by Christopher Nolan Written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan USA, 2012 Christopher Nolan doesn’t half-ass things. Unlike a lot of summer-movie directors, he knows how to deliver a true spectacle. His dedication to telling a complete story about one of pop culture’s most beloved superheroes is remarkable. This determination …

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