Defiance Movie Reviews

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Category: Reviews
Published: Sunday, 18 January 2009 08:43
Written by Lupe Haas

Based on a true story, four Jewish brothers (Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell) living in Nazi occupied Poland escape into the forest where they join up with Russian resistance fighters in battling the Nazis. Throughout the war they built a village inside the forest and saved the lives of more than 1200 other Jews.

Release date: January 16, 2009

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Movie Reviews and Trailer: All About Steve

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Category: Reviews
Published: Thursday, 03 September 2009 09:39
Written by Lupe Haas

The Proposal's Sandra Bullock, Oscar nominee Thomas Haden Church, and The Hangover's Bradley Cooper star in a hilarious tale of a woman who, after falling hard for a guy, thinks they're an item; unfortunately, he thinks she's stalking him?

Bullock's Mary Horowitz is a cruciverbalist - a crossword puzzle constructor.  Her brain spins at warp speed with an endless stream of arcane information.  She can come up with the perfect word - and dozens with the same meaning - at a moment's notice, but "normal" behavior eludes her.

   

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All About Steve Movie Review


Sandra Bullock has developed a comedic style where her misfit characters are slightly exaggerated, but so emotionally grounded, that in spite of her slapstick antics, we find ourselves caring for her. It is while we are laughing at her and with her, that she sneaks in little moral messages. And, when implemented correctly, we come out a little better and wiser in the end.

Sandy is very likable, and when matched with the proper co-star, she’s endearing. However, in All About Steve, she spends so much time chasing Bradley Cooper, a behavior I completely understand, that we never really see them together longer enough to see if their chemistry works.

This movie is not as emotionally satisfying as her last film, The Proposal. I found All About Steve to be less of a romantic comedy and more of a social satire. The film questions the integrity of our news media and asks the question, what’s normal? For me the culminating scene is when Thomas Hayden Church, playing a vain, glory seeking, news reporter, approaches a group of protesters who have now become well wishers and supporters of Mary, Sandra Bullock’s character. When one of the well wishers steps up to him, the well wisher points to the news media and all the chaos and frenzy that surrounds them. He then says, “That is what you created.” Then he indicates the crowd behind him holding a silent vigil and says, “This is what Mary created.”

Throughout the entire film the new media mocked the very people that they were exploiting. Without hitting us over the head, the movie asks us, which is crazier, the people making the signs and burning candles, while standing out all day showing their support, or the news media, who interviews, features them, and feigns mock sympathy.

Throughout all the laughter, this film gave me a lot to think about. I enjoyed the humor, but I appreciated the message as well. To quote Bradley Cooper’s imperative to Ms. Bullock, “Stay as you are, don’t change a bit.”

Melanie Wilson

Visit her blog at LAMelbox.blogspot.com

Release Date:  September 4, 2009 (20th Century Fox)

Genre:  Romance, Comedy, Adventure

Starring:  Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper, Thomas Haden Church, Ken Jeong

 

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Movie Reviews & Clip: Shorts

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Category: Reviews
Published: Wednesday, 19 August 2009 10:39
Written by Lupe Haas

SHORTS

From director Robert Rodriguez (Planet Terror, Spy Kids, Desperado) comes a new adventure film inspired by his kids.   

In the suburb of Black Falls, all the houses look the same and everyone works for BLACK BOX Unlimited Worldwide Industries Incorporated, whose Mr. Black's BLACK BOX is the ultimate communication and do-it-all gadget that's sweeping the nation. Other than keeping his parents employed, however, Mr. Black's BLACK BOX has done nothing for 11-year-old Toe Thompson, who just wants to make a few friends... until a mysterious rainbow-colored rock falls from the sky, hits him in the head and changes everything. The Rainbow Rock does Mr. Black's BLACK BOX one better: it grants wishes to anyone who holds it. Before long, wishes-gone-wrong have left the neighborhood swarming with tiny spaceships, crocodile armies, giant boogers... and outrageous magical mayhem around every corner.

In this clip, the family has a close encounter with a blob monster (William H. Macy, Jimmy Bennett).  Then watch the trailer.

 

(Warner Bros. Pictures) Release: 08/21/2009

Genres: Action/Adventure And Kids/Family

Rating:PG

Starring: Jimmy Bennett, Devon Gearhart, Trevor Gagnon, Jon Cryer, James Spader

Directed By: Robert Rodriguez

Produced By:Dan Lin, Hunt Lowry, Stacy Cohen

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Movie Reviews and Clip: District 9

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Category: Reviews
Published: Wednesday, 12 August 2009 04:13
Written by Lupe Haas

Over twenty years ago, aliens made first contact with Earth. Humans waited for the hostile attack, or the giant advances in technology. Neither came. Instead, the aliens were refugees, the last survivors of their home world. The creatures were set up in a makeshift home in South Africa’s District 9 as the world’s nations argued over what to do with them.

In this clip from DISTRICT 9, the aliens are evicted by the government to be moved to a different district but the District 9 residents are not making it easy.

Interview with Director Neill Blomkamp "Making a Sci-Film For $30 Million

 
Genres:                 Sci Fi

Release Date:        August 14, 2009

MPAA Rating:         Rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for bloody violence and pervasive language 

Starring:               Sharlto Copley, David James

Directed By:          Neill Blomkamp
Produced By:         Peter Jackson, Carolynne Cunningham

Visit Official Movie Site

 

MOVIE REVIEWS

District 9


If I had to use one word to describe this film, that word would be transforms. This movie is all about transformations. In the beginning, a humanitarian act towards some very unfortunate aliens, transforms through greed and avarice, into an act of repression and neglect. A simple basic need like food and shelter, is transformed into a means of exploitation and manipulation. And a simple, bureaucratic man, transforms through circumstances, into a hero, when his eyes are opened by the truth. This movie is all about transformations.


District 9 is a classic example of good Science Fiction. You take a social issue, like immigration, or the creation and existence of slums, and you disguise it by making it about something else. Then when you become familiar with the story and recognize what it is really about, you are already on your way to a fresh perspective and hopefully a new world view. That is the beauty of Science Fiction.


Sharlto Copley, who plays Wikus Van De Merwe, transforms in more ways than one. The character arc that Sharlto has to go through is tremendously effective, especially for such a new and unknown actor. Director Neill Blomkamp, really puts his friend through the ringer, and his commitment to the role pays off. Sharlto Copley is a star to be watched.


As an entertainment, District 9 delivers, too. There are cool aliens, guns, explosions, and a robot battle that was much more effective than anything I saw in The Transformers. Technically, this modestly budgeted film was expertly produced, and every dollar that was spent, is evident on the screen. This film is a good summer action flick, with a conscience, and it’s definitely worth being seen. It is also a film worth discussing.

 

Melanie Wilson

Visit her blog at LAMelbox.blogspot.com

 

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Movie Clip & Reviews: The Proposal

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Category: Reviews
Published: Tuesday, 09 June 2009 09:33
Written by Lupe Haas

Sandra Bullock (TWO WEEKS NOTICE, SPEED) returns to comedy in THE PROPOSAL alongside Ryan Reynolds (X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE), Malin Akerman(THE WATCHMEN), and Oscar Nunez (TV's THE OFFICE). 

In THE PROPOSAL, when high-powered book editor Margaret (Bullock) faces deportation to her native Canada, the quick-thinking exec declares that she's actually engaged to her unsuspecting put-upon assistant Andrew (Reynolds), who she's tormented for years.  The unlikely couple head to Alaska to meet his quirky family and the always-on-control city girl finds herself in one comedic fish-out-of-water situation after another. 

In this film clip from THE PROPOSAL, Andrew's grandmother (Betty White) and mother (Mary Steenburgen) inform the fake couple they are sharing a room and a baby maker blanket during their stay.

 

Studio:    Walt Disney Pictures
Release Date:    June 19, 2009

 

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Role Models Movie Clip and Reviews

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Category: Reviews
Published: Wednesday, 29 October 2008 11:09
Written by Lupe Haas

Role Models

After one of their sex and beer romps gets out of hand, a pair of thirty-something perpetual frat boys are forced to sign up to be Big Brothers as part of their court-mandated community service.

Comedy stars Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks and Jane Lynch.

 
Studio:    Universal
Genres:    Comedy
Release Date:    November 07, 2008


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Movie Reviews and Trailer: EXTRACT

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Category: Reviews
Published: Thursday, 03 September 2009 09:50
Written by Lupe Haas

In EXTRACT, writer/director Mike Judge (Beavis and Butt-Head, King of the Hill) returns to the fertile territory of the American workplace, rotating his perspective away from the white collar cubicle warriors of Office Space and towards a blue collar boss – a small business owner – who employs an odd cast of losers, loners and misfits in his flavor extract factory.


To the outside eye, Joel Reynold (Jason Bateman) seems to have everything. After all, being the owner of a business he built from the ground up - with its patented brand of culinary extracts - should make the “Extract King” a happy man.

However, if Joel hasn’t reached his front door by 8 o’clock, he’ll find his wife, Suzie (Kristen Wiig) cinching up her sweatpants – and about as interested in him as he is in her mastery of supermarket coupon design. Sexually frustrated, Joel confides in his best pal, Dean (Ben Affleck), a barkeep – and soon finds himself wrapped up in a convoluted scheme to make Suzie cheat on him first with a dim-witted gigolo (Dustin Milligan) – thereby allowing him to pursue beautiful new employee Cindy (Mila Kunis) with a clear conscience. Unbeknownst to Joel, the object of his affections is a con artist/sociopath - just one step away from having her parole revoked. 

Meanwhile, Joel and his second-in-command, Brian (J.K. Simmons) have entered negotiations for a buyout of Reynold Extracts by General Mills. All they need to do is keep things tidy, quiet and moving while waiting for the final offer. Of course, this fails to take into account the employees on the factory floor: Step (Clifton Collins, Jr.), a machismo-ridden doofus and self-proclaimed “fastest sorter” with lofty aspirations of rising to Floor Manager; Rory (T.J. Miller), a goth-rock geek who spends more time passing out flyers for his band than shuffling extract bottles; and Mary (Beth Grant), a fanny-packed, bitter slouch at the end of the assembly line who’d rather fold her arms and shake her head than keep life at Reynold moving along – which is exactly what she’s doing when a bottleneck occurs on the line, resulting in a chain of accidents that cost poor Step a portion of his manhood.

Seeing a big payday, the con-artist temp woos the otherwise-loyal Step, convincing him to sue for millions, engaging bus bench lawyer Joe Adler (KISS’s Gene Simmons) to “fight for his rights” – regardless of the fact that doing so will cost Joel the factory.

With his dry wit and remarkable ear for character and dialogue, Mike Judge brings his trademark “flavor” to these seemingly disparate threads, tying them together into an antic comedy about life in the middle.

Miramax Films presents a 3 Arts Entertainment/Ternion Productions film by Mike Judge.

EXTRACT stars Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Ben Affleck, Mila Kunis, J.K. Simmons, David Koechner, Clifton Collins, Jr., T.J. Miller, Beth Grant and Gene Simmons. The film is written and directed by Mike Judge, and is produced by John Altschuler and Michael Rotenberg, executive produced by Dave Krinsky, Tom Lassally and Glenn Lucas, and co-executive produced by Michael Flynn. Director of photography is Tim Suhrsted, and the production designer is Maher Ahmad. Visual Effects by Pixel Magic. Film editor is Julia Wong. Original music for the film composed by George S. Clinton. Distributed by Miramax Films.

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Movie Clip and User Video Reviews: Imagine That

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Category: Reviews
Published: Tuesday, 09 June 2009 11:04
Written by Lupe Haas

Evan Danielson (Eddie Murphy) is a successful financial executive who has more time for his blackberry than his seven-year-old daughter. When he has a crisis of confidence and his career starts going down the drain, however, he finds the solution to all his problems in his daughter's imaginary world.

In this clip from IMAGINE THAT, Eddie Murphy is sidelined by a fast-talking kid (Bobb'e J. Thompson of ROLE MODELS). 

 

Studio:    Paramount
Genres:    Comedy
Release Date:    June 12, 2009 (wide)
MPAA Rating:    TBA
Starring:    Eddie Murphy, Thomas Haden Church, Nicole Ari Parker, DeRay Davis, Ronny Cox
Directed By:    Karey Kirkpatrick
Produced By:    Ric Kidney, Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, Ed Solomon

 

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Movie Reviews and Clip 1: Gamer

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Category: Reviews
Published: Monday, 31 August 2009 13:23
Written by Lupe Haas

Set in the near future, a time when mind-control technology has taken society by storm. Humans control other humans in a mass-scale, multiplayer online game.  Gaming has evolved into a terrifying new dimension-mind control-manipulation-people playing people.

In this clip from GAMER, Gerard Butler's (300, The Ugly Truth) character Kable is being played and controlled by a young gamer Simon (Logan Lerman) in the  ultra-violent first person shooter game "Slayers."

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>Release: 09/04/2009

Genres: Action/Adventure And Thriller
Rating: R for frenetic sequences of strong brutal violence throughout, sexual content, nudity and language
Starring: Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall, Amber Valletta, Alison Lohman, Logan Lerman, Terry Crews, John Leguizamo, Zoe Bell, John De Lancie, Jonathan Chase (II), Aaron Yoo, Noel Guglielmi, Chris ´Ludacris´ Bridges, Kyra Sedgwick, Jarvis W. George
Directed By: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Produced By: Eric Reid (II), David Scott Rubin, Michael Paseornek, James McQuaide, Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor, Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Skip Williamson, Richard Wright (VII)

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