Posts in "4 STARS"
MOVIE REVIEW: Lone Survivor

Especially in the cases of movies based on true stories, we too often play "armchair quarterback."  We think we know the truth or can spot a lie when, very likely, we weren't part of the actual events.  We call out movies for their believability and realism on two ends of a spectrum.  On one end, we accuse them of exaggerating and stretching the truth of a real story.  Our answer for that is a dismissive "come on" and "no way."  On the other hand, we will chastise them for being sanitized, sugarcoated, and not real enough when necessary.  For those, we still answer with a different, but similar "come on" and "no way."

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ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW: Hours

Shedding most of his action star attraction and playing a dedicated father and husband,Hours  easily stands out as the best Paul Walker has ever been as an actor instead of just a movie star.  With his unfortunate and untimely death, it will be a shame that we will never get to see him capitalize from this passion project and personal success.  Hours is a film and performance to be proud of.  It's nothing award-worthy, but a very solid effort that resonates.

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MOVIE REVIEW: The Best Man Holiday

The Best Man Holiday  pulls out many surprises, not the least of which is a heartfelt dramatic core that will warm your spirit and leave a lasting impression of friendship and fellowship.  While it has its flaws and cheesy elements,The Best Man Holiday is one of the most flat-out entertaining and satisfying romantic comedy experiences to come to movies in years.

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MOVIE REVIEW: All Is Lost

Commanding the screen without his smile and very few words, Redford gives an acting clinic on screen presence in this exhilarating and striking survival drama.  The 77-year-old Academy Award winner is the only character in the film and plays a nameless yachtsman at sea in the Indian Ocean.  With no cuddly back story and only a single voiceover of a written letter, Redford is alone in this environment. 

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MOVIE REVIEW: Enough Said

Enough Said is a smart and mature romantic comedy for the over-40 crowd that's a breath of fresh air when compared to younger and dumber entries in the genre.  It packs a thoughtful punch of realism that elevates it from the calculated Hollywood whimsy we're use to seeing from the usual Nora Ephron or Nancy Meyers territory that serves this age range.  Enough Said is a very nice date movie for a fall season and calendar year drastically under-serviced in that department.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Lee Daniels' The Butler

Beyond a few large leaps of over-convenient fictional story weaving, the film is a remarkable and powerful experience that everyone should see.  A star-studded cast delivers a highly involving and endlessly interesting historical journey through America's quest for civil rights and racial equality.  Academy Award winner Forrest Whitaker plays the title character of Cecil Gaines, a black White House butler whose 34-year tenure in the position spans eight Presidents.  

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