The millions of fans of Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” novels and the execrable film series based on them should take great pleasure in the release of “The Host,” the new movie adapted from another of her works. Like the jazz musician who said that after hearing Lawrence Welk he’d have to rethink Guy Lombardo, this picture […]
Film review
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“Yoyo”
One of the most exciting programs at the Dryden Theatre this month is the currently ongoing series focusing on the comedic films of French director, Pierre taix. Having directed only five films and a small number of shorts, the director has remained one of the lesser-known filmmakers of the French New Wave. taix’s films have […]
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“G.I. Joe: Retaliation”
Continuing the recent trend of major studios handing over the reins of their established action franchises to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (see: the most recent “Fast and the Furious” films and its upcoming sequels),”G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” the follow-up to 2009’s “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,” allows the former professional wrestler to take over as […]
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Olympus Has Fallen
Some viewers may recall “Independence Day,” the 1996 movie about a massive attack on the Capitol, the White House, and the most famous monuments of Washington, D.C. That picture inspired a curious delight among the usual right-wing haters, because they regarded it as an appropriate fulfillment of their endless litany of violent anti-government hysteria, and […]
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“Stoker”
The less you know going into “Stoker,” South Korean director Park Chan-wook’s stylishly macabre horror-tale-cum-family-drama, the more fun there is to be derived from sitting back and letting its mysteries unfold. The film marks the English-language debut of the notoriously bloodthirsty filmmaker behind “The Vengeance Trilogy” (which includes the cult-classic “Oldboy”) and the vampire thriller […]
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“The Call”
Her appearance in “The Call” suggests that Halle Berry, who’s been very busy lately, occupies a position in Hollywood as a kind of female counterpart to those male stars who specialize in action movies. Aside from playing Catwoman, she also serves as one of the charter members of the X-Men in that blockbuster franchise. Most […]
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“The Gatekeepers”
In the Oscar-nominated documentary “The Gatekeepers,” a gripping recounting of the history of the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli filmmaker Dror Moreh has achieved a remarkable feat. Not only in creating a powerful, passionate, and clear-eyed examination of an exceedingly complex subject, but in miraculously convincing all six surviving former heads of Shin Bet, Israel’s secret […]
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“Planet of Snail”
“Planet of Snail” is the final presentation in the Dryden Theatre’s “Cinema Guild” series, which has screened a wide-ranging selection of recent movies from the foreign and independent film distributor, and it’s as sweet and life-affirming a film as you could ever wish to see. The South Korean documentary, from director Yi Seung-jin, offers a […]
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“Oz the Great and Powerful”
As the new movie “Oz the Great and Powerful” demonstrates, L. Frank Baum’s fantasies about the magical land of Oz remain a source of enchantment for filmmakers and audiences. Dramatic and cinematic adaptations of the stories date back to the early years of the 20th century and continue through the present day, with such works […]
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“Dead Man Down”
In “Dead Man Down,” the new thriller that marks the American feature debut of Danish director Niels Arden Oplev (he directed the original “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”), the filmmaker reteams with his former leading lady, Noomi Rapace, who plays another damaged young woman with a yen for revenge. The film, an odd mishmash of […]
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“Phantom”
This time of year, the odd hiatus that occurs somewhere in between the competing distractions of the holidays, the Oscars, and the anticipation of the new spring crop, often serves as Hollywood’s dumping ground. It’s the place on the calendar where films that have languished on the shelf for one reason or another, films without […]
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“West of Memphis”
In May of 1993, the bodies of three 8-year-old boys were found stripped naked, bound, and mutilated in a creek in a wooded area of West Memphis, Arkansas, known as Robin Hood Hills. The brutal and lurid nature of the crime led to rumors that the murders were part of a satanic ritual, incensing the […]
