Posts Tagged ‘movie review’

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MOVIE REVIEW: Aftershock

May 16th, 2013 James Shotwell

Film: Aftershock
Starring: Eli Roth, Ariel Levy
Directed By: Nicolás López

Disaster movies are one of the trickier subgenres of the horror/thriller realm. On the one hand, audiences go to these films for the experience of world-ending terror (by monsters or mother nature), but at the same time they expect a certain level of relatable storytelling that often lies beyond the reach of the micro-budget filmmakers who churn out these works like clockwork for SyFy originals and the tiny segment of the direct-to-dvd/VOD audience that is always hungry for horror content. Aftershock starts off with all intentions of rising above …

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MOVIE REVIEW: Star Trek Into Darkness

May 16th, 2013 James Shotwell

Film: Star Trek Into Darkness
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto
Directed by: JJ Abrams

When JJ Abrams first unveiled his vision of Star Trek in 2009, fans and outsiders around the world were taken by surprise. A franchise most assumed had played out its finest years was suddenly new again, and even more importantly (from a business standpoint), people wanted to see more. The end of the film didn’t necessarily warrant the need to continue the story, but one would have to be a fool to think studios don’t leap at cash grab opportunities when they see it. Four years …

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MOVIE REVIEW: No One Lives

May 15th, 2013 James Shotwell

Film: No One Lives
Starring: Luke Evans
Directed by: Ryûhei Kitamura

It is no well kept secret that horror has long been a viable cash cow for studios hoping to make a quick buck. People love scary movies for reasons that allude many, and as long as the ad campaign is slick and the production cost low enough you can almost guarantee some level of return on your investment. Unfortunately, the knowledge of this information has resulted in many people attempting to cash in without having any real passion for the genre. The results of those efforts, while sometimes admirable …

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MOVIE REVIEW: Jay And Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie

April 27th, 2013 James Shotwell

Film: Jay And Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie
Starring: Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith
Directed by: Steve Stark

Jay and Silent Bob have returned to the big (and eventually small) screen in an all-new and crude animated adventure titled Jay And Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie. Animated by Steve Stark, the film is currently playing in theaters, clubs, and venues around the country as part of a promotional tour hosted by Kevin Smith and Jay Mewes.

Based on a script by Smith, but brought to life by Stark and Mewes, Jay And Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie…

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MOVIE REVIEW: Oblivion

April 19th, 2013 James Shotwell

Film: Oblivion
Starring: Tom Cruise
Director: Joseph Kosinski

When I was younger, Sci-Fi was the genre I ran to when I needed an escape from the world around me. Outer space, the future, armageddon, it all drew me in with wide eyes and an open mind. What is the point of making movies if you cannot be creative, right? Few genres allow for the kind of open-ended creativity that comes with sci-fi, and when a new genre blockbuster rolls out it is expected that it will come complete with an original story, unique characters, and in more recent times, eye-popping …

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MOVIE REVIEW: Scary Movie 5

April 16th, 2013 James Shotwell

Film: Scary Movie 5
Starring: Ashley Tisdale, Simon Rex
Director: Malcolm D Lee

There have been at least a dozen introductions to this review before the one you’re currently reading. I could try and say this is due to the fact that I struggled over which amazing line to lead with, but the honest truth is that I’ve simply found no better way to express that something should be avoided at all costs than to come right out and say it. So, without further ado, Scary Movie 5 is a film you should avoid at all costs. If this message …

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MOVIE REVIEW: 42

April 12th, 2013 James Shotwell

Film: 42
Starring: Chadwick Boseman
Director: Brian Helgeland

Biopics on individuals tend to follow one of two formats: Focus on a single struggle/moment of an individual’s life, or showcase a collection of their struggles and accomplishments over the course of several years (or in some cases, a lifetime). We could argue the technical pros and cons of each, but when it comes down to it, which you prefer is just as subjective as anything else in art. What works for one individual may not work the story of another, and the reason for that could be anything from the script, …

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MOVIE REVIEW: Jug Face

April 7th, 2013 James Shotwell

Film: Jug Face
Director: Chad Crawford Kinkle
Starring: Lauren Ashley Carter

“There is a pit in the woods that chooses who lives and who dies.”

If you are starting this review without any previous knowledge of the film Jug Face, I highly suggest you use the above sentence as the only description you read and make no further attempts to access information about this film before seeing it yourself. In an age where even teaser trailers have become grounds for spoilers, it’s harder than ever to enter a movie without having the vast majority of the magic revealed ahead …

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MOVIE REVIEW: I Declare War

March 28th, 2013 James Shotwell

Film: I Declare War
Directors: Robert Wilson and Jason Lapeyre
Starring: Siam Yu, Gage Munroe

While having an original idea for a film is one thing, bringing that idea to life in a way that is viable to large audiences is a completely different story. I Declare War is one of the few films that succeeds in both these areas, though many may argue it’s not a film for everyone, and hopefully it finds the attention it deserves in the months to come.

When bringing an original idea to life, it’s important to cut to the chase as fast as …

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MOVIE REVIEW: G.I. Joe: Retaliation

March 28th, 2013 James Shotwell

Film: G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Director: Jon M. Chu
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum

Like many movie snobs, the 2009 release of G.I. Joe: Rise Of The Cobra was nothing special to me. The initial announcement of the film came at a time when multiple toy and board game properties were being picked up by major studios, and the thought of seeing figurines I had loved so much as a child turned into the biggest hollywood bastardization since Transformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen did not appeal to me in the slightest. So when Rise finally arrived in theaters I chose …

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MOVIE REVIEW: The Croods

March 22nd, 2013 Justin Proper

Movie: The Croods
Director: Kirk DeMicco, Chris Sanders
Writer: John Cleese, Kirk DeMicco, Chris Sanders
Studio: DreamWorks Animation

An all-star cast and fantastic creatures brings this prehistoric story out of the cave and into your heart.

I will be the first to admit that I was not excited to see The Croods. I am not a fan of kids movies, I hate 3-D, and I was not really feeling that well the night I was supposed to go to the theater thanks to my old nemesis, the common cold. Then creator of UTG, James Shotwell, told me to look …

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MOVIE REVIEW: The Place Beyond the Pines

March 15th, 2013 Grace Duffy

Movie: The Place Beyond the Pines
Director: Derek Cianfrance

The Place Beyond the Pines is a reminder of what cinema can achieve with so little. Our contemporary movie landscape is clustered with big-budget adaptations, comic book extravaganzas, fantasies, hard-boiled political thrillers, and comedies more notable for the bank balance of the actors in them than any actual narrative. I love all (well, most) of these as much as the next cinema fan, but it can be easy to lose yourself in the grandiose spectacle of such exalted productions and neglect the more human and engaging stories on the ground. This …

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