Instead of new tricks, ‘Dogs’ plays dead


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In comedy, the rule of three proposes that things become funnier if they occur three times. After two successive gags involving golf balls to the groin, one can only wonder if a third would have made any difference. Old Dogs, which opened Nov. 25, fails to learn any new tricks. The film centers upon Dan […]

Adaptation takes viewer down a harrowing ‘Road’


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Often quoted and always relevant whenever the apocalypse enters a discussion, T.S. Eliot wrote in The Hollow Men: “This is the way the world ends/not with a bang, but a whimper.” As seen in the success of Roland Emmerich’s eardrum-shattering 2012, people love a good world-destroying bang. The Road, John Hillcoat’s thrilling, faithful adaptation of […]

Herzog, Cage go off the deep end in ‘Lieutenant’


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Take an eccentric director, add an eccentric star, and what’s the outcome? A truly bizarre film. In Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, the combination of Werner Herzog’s zany, metaphor-rich directing and Nicolas Cage’s over-exaggerated characterization produces a ludicrous yet somewhat fascinating film that both entices and befuddles the audience. Love or hate him, […]

Comedy highlights quirky ensemble cast


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Writer, director and producer Sebastian Gutierrez adds indie comedy to his long résumé of thriller and horror films with Women in Trouble. Premiered at the 2009 South by Southwest Film Festival, Women in Trouble, which was shot in only 12 days, captures the modern dilemmas of women in an almost satirical manner. Gutierrez uses the […]

Political thriller builds to a suspenseful ‘Endgame’


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In South Africa, a race is under oppression, lashing out violently against the harsh constraints placed upon it. In the midst of these clashing sides, one man is drawn into the events. These are the ingredients for one of the year’s most compelling films. No, not District 9. I’m talking about Endgame. The latest film […]

Generic rom-com ‘Hurts’ from title to characters


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Considered an indie romantic comedy, director Barra Grant’s Love Hurts is painful viewing for audience members seeking a sappy indulgence. The only tears a movie watcher might shed are from laughter. The movie stars British actor Richard E. Grant as Ben Bingham, an ear, nose and throat doctor who is oblivious to how his beautiful, […]

God gives very few answers


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Oh my God, where did this film go wrong? British native Peter Rodger’s documentary was advertised as a valiant attempt to define God in such a way that would pervade religious barriers and promote peace. The actual product, however, is a sloppy, cliché film by a novice director. Rodger and his two-man crew traveled to […]