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‘The Family Fang’ is a strong sophomore effort

The Family Fang Written by David Lindsay-Abaire and Kevin Wilson (adapted from his novel) Directed by Jason Bateman U.S., 2016 Jason Bateman’s sophomore directorial feature is not the follow-up to Bad Words that many expected. While that low-key comedy based around a grown man through a child’s spelling bee was a pleasant surprise, this adaptation …

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Superhero Corner: Cumberbatch gets ‘Strange,’ Batfleck deals with the past, Oscar winner joins ‘Wonder Woman’

Michael Stuhlbarg set to join impressive ‘Doctor Strange’ cast Who would’ve thought Marvel could create such an eclectically interesting cast as they have for the one with Doctor Strange? The Wrap reports that Michael Stuhlbarg, who was just seen in Steve Jobs and Trumbo, is set to join the cast for Doctor Strange, which is …

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HBO gives series order to David E. Kelley’s ‘Big Little Lies’

HBO has acquired its next series, as the channel has given a straight-to-series order to Big Little Lies. The show, being billed as a limited series package in the vein of True Detective, is written by prolific TV scribe David E. Kelley, marking his first return to television since the cancellation of the Robin Williams …

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The Definitive Movies of 1995

30. Sense and Sensibility Directed by: Ang Lee Ang Lee has gone in about eight different directions in terms of genre. His resume includes “The Ice Storm,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” Hulk,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Life of Pi,” and this delightful Jane Austen adaptation, starring Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, and young Kate Winslet. “Sense …

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‘Paddington’ might just become a future family film classic

Paddington is a 21st century take on an icon of children’s literature that never feels constrained by its source material despite its closeness in spirit. In its playful craft, wit for all ages, fully realised human leads, and actual engagement with important, timely themes in a manner free of heavy-handedness, King and company have created what one hopes will become a future family film classic.

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Two Left Feet: How “El Tango de Roxanne” Represents Everything Wrong with Baz Luhrmann

Moulin Rouge! is a mixed bag. It’s an idea that looks good on paper, but looks horrendous in execution. It’s a film where it should have the ability to make all the right emotional pivots, but succumbs to an ostentation that exists in its final product, making this a hallmark for director Baz Lurhmann’s career. …

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New on Video: ‘Breaking the Waves’

“This remarkably affecting film is a powerful work that delves deeply into often unspoken and unconventional recesses of faith and love. Its themes are profound, its performances staggering throughout, and its visual palette and filmic technique are replete with saturated hues, vigorous camera work, and an unabashed intimacy.”

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Protecting Their Precious Bodily Fluids: Male Impotence in Kubrick’s Filmography

It’s both perfectly fitting and a darkly wry punchline that the last word in Stanley Kubrick’s last film is “fuck,” utilized in its most literal definition. The word is spoken, in both direct and slightly imploring fashion, by Alice Harford (Nicole Kidman) to her husband Bill (Tom Cruise) at the end of the still slightly …

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‘BMX Bandits’ is an 80’s classic

BMX Bandits Directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith Written by Patrick Edgeworth and Russell Hagg Australia, 1983 The 1980’s saw a big boom in the sport of BMX racing, and the bikes began appearing in several Hollywood and non-Hollywood productions. Long before Rad, and a year before E.T. put BMX bikes on the world stage, Ozploitation legend …

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‘Stoker’ and the reoccurring case of the disappointing third act

Chan-wook Park’s Stoker is a Gothic fairytale, a family drama and a beautifully twisted, pitch black coming of age story, all at once. This slow-burning psychological thriller isn’t afraid to cross into uncomfortable places, often edging close to taboo territory. Park wants his audience to twitch in their seats and the master director is able …

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‘Stoker’ stars and director able to bridge culture and language gap while filming

For many film fans, Stoker is a major event in cinema, the long-awaited arrival of Park Chan-wook on American shores. The director of Oldboy, among other genre favorites, has a cult fandom, but only for films made in his native South Korea. Even more, Stoker features a striking cast, including Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode, and …

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‘Stoker’ stylish and surreal, until the script undermines its virtues

Stoker Written by Wentworth Miller Directed by Park Chan-wook USA/UK, 2013 – By the end of 2013, three of South Korea’s most notable filmmakers will have made the trek to the US of A to make their English-language debut – first up was Kim Jee-woon’s less than stellar Schwarzenegger vehicle The Last Stand, and in a …

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‘Stoker’ is impeccably crafted, subdued and visually magnetic

Stoker Directed by Chan-wook Park Written by Wentworth Miller and Erin Cressida Wilson 2013, USA South Korean director Park Chan-wook’s first cinematic foray with the English language is a gratifyingly morbid journey, albeit frustratingly simple in its conclusion. The man behind “The Vengeance Trilogy” (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Lady Vengeance) doesn’t deliver the level of graphic gore or …

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‘The Paperboy’ rises above its early sophomoric, salacious reputation

The Paperboy Directed by Lee Daniels United States 2012 The Paperboy isn’t your 8-bit Nintendo equivalent. Those suburban neighborhoods where storm drains, skateboarders and tornadoes were the major worry, are replaced with far more serious, graphic concerns in director Lee Daniels’ new drama. Ward Jansen (Matthew McConaughey) is a prize-winning journalist who returns to his …

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News: “Twilight” is the Big Winner at the MTV Movie Awards / Woody Allen Finds a New Hooker / Portman Joins the Cast of “Your Highness” / New “Public Enemies” Featurette now online.

Twilight was the toast of the MTV Movie Awards winning five major prizes. But who gives a shit. Sacha Baron Cohen just tea bagged Eminem. Now that’s what I want more of at my awards shows. Yes, the bit is ripped off from a similar stunt by Howard Stern pulled at the VMA’s some while …

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