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‘Lone Survivor’ a workmanlike, painfully straightforward depiction of unsubtle courage

Lone Survivor Written and directed by Peter Berg USA, 2013 The most unsettling moment in Lone Survivor, upon reflection, is its opening shot, one that mirrors the first moments of the extended long-take beginning of Gravity, albeit in a more Earthbound fashion. The former is a static shot of bleak, dry land in Afghanistan as …

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Breaking the Bank: Six of Hollywood’s Lost Old-School Epics

  For moviegoers growing up in the last 20-30 years, big is the new normal.  I’m talking about those big-budget, over-produced, effects/action-packed extravaganzas that are as expected and routine an arrival as a commuter bus, and never more so than during the summer months.  Come a rise in temperatures, there’s an almost ceaseless parade of …

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‘Battleship’ carbon-copies Michael Bay in a monotonous action nightmare

Battleship Written by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber Directed by Peter Berg USA, 2012 Mix together bits and pieces of the last 20 years of American action filmmaking, throw in a heaping helping of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey, and sprinkle in some overplayed rock songs. What you get from this brew is the muddled, middling …

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