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"Exodus: Gods and Kings" (12/21/14)The Exodus story has been depicted onscreen many times before, most notably in "The Ten Commandments" (1956) and "The Prince of Egypt" (1998), though there are plenty of others. "Exodus: Gods and Kings" promises to be one of the more exciting versions, with blockbuster director Ridley Scott in charge and millions of dollars in special effects to play with. The question that looms over the film is: what will we see here that we haven't seen before?...
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Movie Review: "Horrible Bosses 2" (12/13/14)2011's "Horrible Bosses" was a solid, funny movie. The thing I remember most about seeing it is that there was a huge guy in the seat in front of me who bounced back and forth wildly any time something funny happened onscreen, which was admirably often. ...
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"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" (11/29/14)"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 1" is probably going to be the biggest movie of 2014. The two previous "Hunger Games" films have both made over $400 million at the domestic box office. "Mockingjay -- Part 1" can afford to make $90 million less than its predecessor "Catching Fire" and still make more money than this year's current leader, "Guardians of the Galaxy," at $331 million. ...
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Movie Review: "Ouija" (11/3/14)Here it is: the official scary movie of Halloween 2014. I have to say I'm disappointed. This is a pretty unoriginal slog through murky spiritual territory. The ghosts featured are relatively unconvincing, but I can see being startled by the occasional loud noises. ...
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Movie Review: "Gone Girl" (10/22/14)"Gone Girl" is one of those movies that is so twisty that it's hard to tell where the setup ends and the spoilers begin. It's based on a bestselling novel, which means that some people are going to know going in exactly what to expect. I feel a little sorry for those people, though I suppose they've already had their turn to be deliciously surprised. ...
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Movie Review: Dolphin Tale 2 (9/20/14)2011's "Dolphin Tale" told the story of Winter, a rescued dolphin who was missing her tail. The humans around her worked tirelessly to help, and in the process they learned to help themselves. Needless to say, it was a super cheesy movie, the sort of cutesy inspirational fluff that adults have seen countless times (including "Air Bud," by the same director) but kids probably enjoy when it's new to them. Now comes "Dolphin Tale 2," which is pretty much more of the same...
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Movie Review by Bob Garver (9/13/14)With no major new releases this week, I thought I'd take a look back at some of the movies from the summer season that I saw but never reviewed. Most of these were bombs, but a few were actually decent hits that just never quite made it to the top of the charts. In chronological order, starting in May.....
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If I Stay (8/30/14)"If I Stay" is a pretty depressing teen romance about a young couple who love, lose, and one of them might die. It's based on one of those "YA" (Young Adult) books that are so hot as film projects right now. There's a temptation to compare it to "The Fault in Our Stars," another teen romance where the characters spent a lot of time on the brink of death. ...
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"Guardians of the Galaxy" (8/11/14)The Guardians of the Galaxy come from the same Marvel universe as The Avengers. But it doesn't take five solo movies to get us to the big team-up project. The idea here is that the cast is so diverse that there has to be somebody you like. And if it turns out that you like all five main characters, so much the better...
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"Lucy" (8/2/14)For years, popular culture has perpetuated the myth that humans use only 10% of their brain and anyone who can unlock the rest of it will basically develop superpowers. This is a bogus theory, the truth (and this is the short version) is that while you may be using only a small portion of your brain at any given time, the rest is so specialized that it is not relevant to the task at hand. ...
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'Oblivion' (4/23/13)I was prejudiced against "Oblivion" since about a week before it opened. A friend of mine got to see the movie in advance and left after the first half hour. At around the thirty-one minute mark, I was jealous of my friend. It's not a terrible movie in that "clearly a bomb" sort of way, but it failed to hold my interest and it was depressing to know that it was nowhere close to ending...
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'A Good Day to Die Hard' (2/19/13)Lovers of blockbusters are usually quick to point out 1988's "Die Hard" as a perfect example of how to correctly do a modern action movie. Sure it has a lot of explosions, gunfire, and cheesy one-liners, but it also has a tight script, attention to visual detail, and characters people either loved or loved to hate. ...
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'Identity Thief' (2/12/13)After its first act, "Identity Thief" becomes a predictable, mildly amusing road trip comedy. This is actually a really good creative decision because the film is effectively cutting its losses after realizing that it can't keep milking laughs from identity theft. ...
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'Warm Bodies' (2/5/13)I have to admit that it was a great decision to release a movie called "Warm Bodies" in February. The title makes for a terrific invitation to get out of the cold and into a theater. If the film were called "Warm Bodies Wrapped up in Snuggly Blankets and Drinking Rich Hot Cocoa", it would really be unstoppable. Maybe if there's a sequel...