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Archive By Section - Movie reviews


‘Silver Linings Playbook’ is feel-good done right

I'm the kind of person for whom the phrase "feel-good movie" is a negative term. I like to feel good, and I especially like to feel good by the time a movie's end credits roll.

November 22, 2012 | Jeff Marker | Movie reviews


‘Smashed’ is a smashing indie winner

"Smashed" is an example of many things I love about independent film. It's made by a young, promising director, James Ponsoldt, from Athens. It features a handful of stars willing to take on what are for them small roles, but for the film makes the difference between being seen and not being seen. The movie takes on a difficult topic - alcoholism - from a fresh perspective, and while it offers truths, it doesn't beat ...

November 15, 2012 | Jeff Marker | Movie reviews


‘Wreck-It Ralph’ is built to last

"Wreck-It Ralph" demolished my defenses. I went into this movie with the same mixture of skepticism and hope with which I approach everything I review, but by the end I was pummeled into happy submission. I became a fan, just sitting there loving a movie.

November 08, 2012 | Jeff Marker | Movie reviews


Even at 50, Bond sizzles like new in ‘Skyfall’

The James Bond movie franchise is now 50 years old - a birthday featured prominently in the film's promotional materials, yet "Skyfall" injects the character and the franchise with renewed attitude and purpose.

November 01, 2012 | Jeff Marker | Movie reviews


‘Cloud Atlas’ is a brave effort at complex tale

In 1916, D.W. Griffith followed up his racist yet massively successful film "Birth of a Nation" with "Intolerance," a 3«-hour long epic consisting of four separate stories, each set in a different time and place: ancient Babylon, the time of Christ, France in 1572 and contemporary America.

October 25, 2012 | Jeff Marker | Movie reviews


‘Seven Psychopaths’ parts are better than the whole

Writer-director Martin McDonagh's "Seven Psychopaths" reminded me of the old quote from Euripides: "Cleverness is not wisdom."

October 18, 2012 | Jeff Marker | Movie reviews


‘Argo’ a taut thriller with Oscar in its sights

"Argo" pulls off several amazing feats. It's based on a true story, which always creates the risk that nothing in the film will be surprising. But even though the story is set within a defining moment in modern American and Iranian history, most of us are completely unaware of it. "Argo" is based on an article journalist Joshuah Bearman published in Wired magazine in 2007 called "The Great Escape," which tells the formerly classified story ...

October 11, 2012 | Jeff Marker | Movie reviews


‘Looper’ is smart sci-fi with an action twist

Science fiction used to be a genre of ideas. Ever since Fritz Lang's 1927, still-relevant masterpiece "Metropolis," the best sci-fi flicks present us with a credible, usually dystopian, vision of our future and pose ethical dilemmas which spring from contemporary social and technological trends. Impressive visual design has always been essential - the film must tangibly create the future, after all - but action used to be merely an accoutrement to movies whose primary goal ...

October 04, 2012 | Jeff Marker | Movie reviews


‘End of Watch’ a gritty, must-see cops saga

"End of Watch" is the most intense cop drama to hit wide release in quite some time. Considering its writer/director's past work, that shouldn't be surprising.

September 27, 2012 | Jeff Marker | Movie reviews


‘Curve’ throws a strike, thanks to its stars

It's been a long time since we've been able to say this: the new Clint Eastwood film is a great date movie.

September 20, 2012 | Jeff Marker | Movie reviews


Finding Nemo’ re-release sinks in pointless 3-D

Disney/Pixar roll out its latest 3-D re-release this week, and unlike the original film itself, the 3-D version of "Finding Nemo" barely makes a splash.

September 13, 2012 | Jeff Marker | Movie reviews


Sex farce a good time for female target audience

"For a Good Time, Call ..." is a modern-day sex farce made for millennial and Generation X women.

September 06, 2012 | Jeff Marker | Movie reviews


Fall preview: Hollywood goes big with blockbuster films

I introduced my summer preview by saying Hollywood is counting on 2012 to be the year that audiences return to theaters in greater numbers. The movies are big in scope, feature amazing talent, and are based on reliable characters and properties.

August 30, 2012 | Jeff Marker | Movie reviews


Violent 'Lawless' tale of moonshiners runs dry

"Lawless" offers gunfights, drama, some comedy, and strong performances. That should be the makings of something great, but these elements do not mesh. Instead, they produce an uneven, disappointing movie.

August 30, 2012 | Jeff Marker | Movie reviews


Action movie not quite premium, but still a rush

I'm a big fan of movies without pretense, movies that embrace rather than try to hide what they really are.

August 23, 2012 | Jeff Marker | Movie reviews


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Articles by Section - Movie reviews


'Fast & Furious 6' takes car worship to the extreme

Nothing about "Fast & Furious 6" makes sense. The initial premise, every aspect of character development, and every plot point are all ridiculously, shockingly mindless.

May 23, 2013 | Jeff Marker | Movie reviews


‘Mayan Blue’ a stunning film with Ga. ties

"Mayan Blue" is an atypical Georgia film. Most of the crew either come from or live in North Georgia, yet the film was shot entirely in Guatemala and features an abundance of breathtaking underwater cinematography.

May 16, 2013 | Jeff Marker | Movie reviews


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