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Movies
Too Macho For Its Own Good
I pretended I didn't, but as a young girl I did wish the ways of the world and children at play were different, and that I could be allowed - just once - to enter the clubhouse in our attic over which my older brother and his friends presided. Later, emboldened by a few more years and inches, I did sneak into the clubhouse... which, while in some ways thrilling, was, all in all, a disappointment. More
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Movies
Lots of revenge
It seems foolish for Marvel Comics to have timed the release of <I>The Punisher</I> so it coincides with the opening of the second volume of Quentin Tarantino's <I>Kill Bill</I> when their premises are so similar. And like Tarantino's picture, there is no shortage of carnage in <I>The Punisher</I>. But, that is where the similarities end. More
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Movies
Looks better than the usual Hollywood makeover
Back in the day, when I first saw the original <i>Planet of the Apes</i> movies, I was scared. I used to watch the television series too and I was even more scared. Sure, I was a wide-eyed little kid, but still, something about the apes was just so. . . so. . . eerie. Plus, they were really mean. I watched the new Tim Burton take on the classic cult film with regressive horror. The apes were still frightening and fierce. But with the help of technology, bigger budgets and make-up/costume feats, they were ten-times more believable and spooky. More
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Movies
Hitchcock redone, but definitely not outdone
I'm no movie buff, but if I were a director, I'd want to be Gus Van Sant. No one else in the industry creates images as gripping and memorable: River Phoenix drooling on asphalt in <I>My Own Private Idaho</I>; Illeana Douglas skating frosty circles in the final scene of <I>To Die For</I>. So why then, in updating <I>Psycho</I>, did Van Sant attempt to recreate the film exactly as it first appeared to its wide-eyed 1960 drive-in audiences? I read his explanation in a recent interview (homage to Hitchcock, respect for the story...), but I'm still somewhat perplexed.... More
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Movies
The Curse of the Black Pearl
Fun. Ultimately, that is why movies exist. Sure, there is the occasional film that educates or provides social commentary, but generally people look to film to provide relief from the monotony of their everyday lives. It is a fact sometimes forgotten when movies strive to be artistic. Perhaps the summer's best example of this is Ang Lee's <i>Hulk</i>, as his attempt at a smart action movie results in a boring one. <i>Pirates of the Caribbean</i> marks the return of Jerry Bruckheimer, the grizzled veteran of action extravaganzas, who has carved out an entire career of producing pictures whose sole purpose is audience entertainment... More
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Movies
Sold for 3.5 million dollars, <i>Pieces of April</i> was this year's financial success story at Sundance. Katie Holmes plays an estranged daughter, April, who invites the family together for Thanksgiving dinner as a sort of goodbye to her mother (Patricia Clarkson) dying of breast cancer. Despite the somber premise, there are plenty of lighthearted moments listening to the family members bicker on the car ride up and watching April's clumsy preparation of the turkey. Unfortunately, an abrupt ending gives the film an uneven pace, seemingly cutting off when there should still be twenty minutes left. More
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Movies
Brainy sci-fi take on the classic boy-meets-girl scenario
Code 46 is one of those rare science-fiction films that evoke arresting images of a dystopian future while striving to connect with their audiences through the emotional core that is at the center of their stories instead of through imagined futuristic settings, hardware, and special effects. More
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Movies
The Eminem Show
Every Friday down at The Shelter, the Detroit hip-hop dungeon in Curtis Hanson's (L.A. Confidential; The River Wild) latest directorial effort, the local talent gets together to battle one another. It's a contest of verbal dominance with the mike as the gun and rhymes like bullets. You have to be smart and tough and fast to win. More
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Movies
Halloween house party
Want to see a scary movie for Halloween? Itching to grab your date with adrenaline-infused fright? Not satisfied with watching a cheesy feel-good flick? Well, you have a number of films from which to choose; horror movies and thrillers have fast become the genres du jour. 13 Ghosts is one of the latest movies to explore the concept of the haunted house. Directed by Steve Beck, it's a remake of the 1960 William Castle film of the same name. More
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Movies
After watching a good comedy or fantasy flick, you walk out of the theater with a little extra bounce in your stride. On the opposite end of the spectrum are the films of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Instead of standing up to leave when the credits roll, you remain fused to your seat. Though you have sat motionless for the past two hours, it feels more like you just lugged an oak armoire up a dozen flights of stairs. More
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