Author: By Katie Walsh Tribune News Service
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Movie review: The devil’s in the details in suspenseful, twisty ‘Little Things’
‘THE LITTLE THINGS’ Starring Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto, Natalie Morales, Chris Bauer, Michael Hyatt; directed by John Lee Hancock; 127 minutes; R for violent/disturbing images, language and full nudity. Grade: B+ There’s always something satisfying about a pulpy thriller starring Denzel Washington. The Oscar-winning actor has an ability to elevate any genre piece,…
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Movie review: Great cast can’t save ‘Sisters’
Starring Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Ike Barinholtz, Dianne Wiest, James Brolin, Maya Rudolph, John Leguizamo; directed by Jason Moore; 118 minutes; R for crude sexual content and language throughout, and for drug use. A lot of very talented and likable people came together to make “Sisters.” Stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are much beloved…
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Movie review: ‘Big Short’ will make you laugh, make you furious
Starring Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Marisa Tomei; directed by Adam McKay; 170 minutes; rated R for pervasive language and some sexuality/nudity; opens Wednesday In adapting the 2010 financial crisis book “The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine” by Michael Lewis, the director of “Anchorman” doesn’t seem like the first choice. And…
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‘Good Dinosaur’ sticks to the Disney-Pixar formula
Starring Raymond Ochoa, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Jack Bright, Anna Paquin, Sam Elliott; directed by Peter Sohn; 110 minutes; PG for peril, action and thematic elements Disney films have a tried and true formula, and “The Good Dinosaur” is no exception. However, there’s something rather soothing about the familiar, and when it’s executed well, it’s…
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Tearjerker ‘Miss You Already’ is undone by cliches
Starring Drew Barrymore, Toni Collette, Paddy Considine, Dominic Cooper; directed by Catherine Hardwicke; 102 minutes; PG-13 for thematic content, sexual material and some language. Female friendship fable “Miss You Already” presents itself as a sort of “Beaches” for the 21st century, announcing its tearjerking intentions right there in the title. If this is your kind…
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Cynical ‘Our Brand Is Crisis’ is good fit for Bullock
The Sandra Bullock-starring “Our Brand Is Crisis” is an acidic, biting political satire that asserts the notion that marketing has taken over the democratic process. There’s truth in that thesis, especially since the film is based on a documentary of the same name that captured the machinations of American political and branding consultants for hire…
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Bradley Cooper’s ‘Burnt’ seems a little half-baked
Starring Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Daniel Brühl, Emma Thompson, Omar Sy; directed by John Wells; 100 minutes; R for language throughout. If “Burnt,” starring Bradley Cooper, feels slightly familiar, you might be remembering Cooper’s short-lived turn in the TV series “Kitchen Confidential” about a decade or so ago. That series was based on the volatile,…
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Too much gore, not enough scares in ‘Green Inferno’
Starring Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy; directed by Eli Roth; 100 minutes; R for aberrant violence and torture, grisly disturbing images, brief graphic nudity, sexual content, language and some drug use. What’s the point of watching horror movies? An often argued reason is catharsis. Horror movies have a unique way of dredging up cultural anxieties and…
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‘Hotel Transylvania 2’ is cute, but not a classic
Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Andy Samberg; directed by Genndy Tartakovsky; 89 minutes; PG for some scary images, action and rude humor. There’s an embarrassment of riches when it comes to movies for kids. This summer has seen the likes of the emotional “Inside Out” and the brilliant claymation film…
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Great performances boost ‘American Ultra’
A soup spoon turns lethal in the unlikely hands of sweet and spacy stoner Mike (Jesse Eisenberg) in the violently paranoid action comedy “American Ultra.” Mike’s a lot like the spoon – harmless unless deployed in the right way – because he used to be a particularly effective “asset” at the CIA, a term used…