Once you get a big hit, like Alex Winter did as Bill S. Preston, Esquire, in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, studios start to let you do things. They trust you. But what happens when that trust is unceremoniously pulled out from under your feet? WInter’s directorial debut Freaked is the story of a egomaniacal […]
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In the latest batch of VOD releases from the margins, Hugo Weaving tackles Shakespeare, Maisie Williams robs a house, and Pauly Shore drops a dookie. Tom of Your Life (VOD September 1) Writer/director/editor/composer/star Jeremy Sklar aims for a wistful Benjamin Button vibe with what the opening credits call “a fable” about a guy who lives […]
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Perhaps the best way to gauge your potential enjoyment of the newly-streaming British comedy Get Duked! is by your reaction to the film’s biggest joke. How much do you enjoy the idea of watching venerated actor James Cosmo–Game of Thrones’ Commander Mormot–gleefully tripping balls on rabbit poo? If the answer is “a lot,” congratulations, you’ve […]
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The comedy franchise’s belated new entry is lightweight but delightful, allowing its stars to flex their comic muscles while exploring middle age, suburban ennui, and abandoned dreams.
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Colm McCarthy’s 2016 adaptation of M.R. Carey’s novel (now streaming on Netflix) is a thoughtful and often exhilarating examination of survival and sacrifice.
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Terrence Malick’s 1978 classic (now streaming on Amazon Prime) remains a gorgeous sensory experience – and a showcase for several magnificent performances.
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The turn of the 21st century was ruled by a particular kind of comedic heroine. Blond hair, a bubbly personality, and an exposed midriff were mandatory, and the brand of feminism espoused was primarily about sexual confidence and unfettered ambition. This was the era of Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde, with her fuchsia skirt suit […]
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Director Michael Ritchie veered from character studies to commercial comedies, but throughout his filmography, the subject of sports (and a cynical approach to it) was a constant.
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Nicolas Roeg’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel (released 30 years ago today) still plays like gangbusters, thought its subtext serves as a subtle reminder of the “stranger danger” era.
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Pump Up the Volume never capitulates. In its opening scene, a law-breaking teenage radio DJ who goes by the moniker Hard Harry ( known for excessive masturbation during his illegal missives) wonders, “You ever get the feeling that everything in America is completely fucked up?” The defiance of that rhetorical question imbues every moment of […]
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Random Acts of Violence isn’t the cleanest or cleverest of horror movies, but it displays a grindhouse ambition that’s worth paying attention to.
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How can we know Nikola Tesla? The 19th-century Serbian-American inventor was a formative figure in the advances of electricity – but he was not a master showman like Thomas Edison nor a savvy businessman like George Westinghouse. Today, his legacy involves a dry history of his inventions and a fetishistic embrace by environmentalists, idealists, and […]
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