Lost Masculinity & Grim Relationships in FOXCATCHER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8361stZ8n0w Foxcatcher. 2014. Dir. Bennett Miller. Starring Channing Tatum, Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Sienna Miller, Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Michael Hall, Guy Boyd, and Brett Rice. Mongrel Media. Rated PG (Canada). 129 minutes.  Biography/Drama/Sports ★★★★★ I'd been anticipating this film for a long while. Ever since I'd heard of Foxcatcher, there was something about it which struck …

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NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN’s Religious Parable

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJEmdYS6QxU Nothing Bad Can Happen. 2014. Directed & Written by Katrin Gebbe. Starring Julius Feldmeier, Sascha Alexander Gersak, and Annika Kuhl. Celluloid Dreams. Not Rated. 110 minutes. Drama/Thriller ★★★★1/2 While I usually try not to go too deep into personal theories of a movie, if it appears to me as metaphorical, Nothing Bad Can Happen feels …

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[REC] Follows Everyday Life into a Zombie Epidemic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMzrgj11T2E [Rec]. 2007. Directed by Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza. Screenplay by Jaume Balagueró, Luis Berdejo & Paco Plaza. Starring Manuela Velasco, Ferran Terraza, Jorge-Yamam Serrano, Pablo Rosso, David Vert, Vicente Gil, Martha Carbonell, and Carlos Vicente. Sony Pictures. Rated R. 78 minutes. Horror/Mystery/Thriller ★★★★1/2 First off - I'm not one of these snobs who feels the …

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Jack O’Connell Gets STARRED UP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4iseCjFnWk Starred Up. 2014. Dir. David Mackenzie. Starring Jack O'Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, Raphael Sowole, Anthony Welsh, David Ajala, Rupert Friend, and Sam Spruell. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Not Rated. 106 minutes. Drama ★★★★★ Starred Up (the slang prison term for a criminal who is transferred early from an institution for young offenders to an adult …

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CHEAP THRILLS in a Bleak Economy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLiWbTn1RpE Cheap Thrills. 2014.  Dir. E.L Katz. Starring Pat Healy, Sara Paxton, Ethan Embry, and David Koechner. Pacific Northwest Pictures. Rated 14A. 88 minutes. Comedy/Crime/Drama ★★★★1/2 Cheap Thrills begins as Craig (Pat Healy) loses his low paying job. On top of that, he and his wife, as well as their new baby, are on the …

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Zack Parker’s PROXY: Twisting Tales of Extraordinary Madness

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dmJ5ap8lh4 Proxy. 2014.  Dir. Zack Parker. Starring Kristina Klebe, Joe Swanberg, Alexa Havins, and Alexia Rasmussen. IFC Midnight. Unrated. 120 minutes. Drama/Horror/Thriller ★★★★★ Previously, I've seen Zack Parker's work with his earlier film Scalene, which I actually really enjoyed. Perhaps enjoy is not the best verb to describe the experience of that film, but either way …

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Not Everyone’s Cut Out for POKER NIGHT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhaqpgsN-lY Poker Night. 2014. Dir. Greg Francis. Screenplay by Dough Buchanan & Francis. Starring Beau Mirchoff, Ron Perlman, Titus Welliver, Halston Sage, Ron Eldard, Corey Large, Giancarlo Esposito, and Michael Eklund. XLrator Media. Not Rated. 104 minutes. Action/Crime/Thriller ★★★★ I'd anticipated this movie just because of the trailer. Now, sometimes this can come back to …

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True Detective Season 1 Blu ray Review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXG1netn9_g True Detective. 2014.  8 episodes directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga; written & created by Nic Pizzolatto.  Starring Woody Harrelson, Matthew McConaughey, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Potts, and Tory Kittles.  HBO Home Entertainment.  Rated 18A.  458 minutes.  Bonus Material Not Rated.  Crime/Drama/Mystery/Thriller ★★★★★ (Season 1) ★★★★1/2 (Blu ray) The story of True Detective looks, on the surface, …

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