WHIPLASH: Two Jazz-Hands Up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d_jQycdQGo Whiplash. 2014. Directed & Written by Damien Chazelle. Starring Miles Teller, J.K Simmons, and Paul Reiser. Blumhouse Productions. Rated 14A. 107 minutes. Drama/Music ★★★★★I think one of the most incredible things about Whiplash is the fact it captures the blood, sweat, and tears which go into the making of a true musician so accurately …

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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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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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BLUE RUIN’s Honest Amateur Revenge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0XGOxFnm9A Blue Ruin. 2014. Directed & Written by Jeremy Saulnier. Starring Macon Blair, Tyler Byrne, Richard Peete, Vincent Savino, Alex Orr, and Anish Savjani. Anchor Bay Entertainment. Rated 18A. 90 minutes. Crime/Drama/Thriller ★★★★★ Personally, I love revenge thrillers just because they satisfy the real life need at times to dive into something similar to our …

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The Captive: An Atom Egoyan Fairy Tale

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z3_vcRbi7k The Captive. 2014. Dir. Atom Egoyan. Screenplay by Egoyan & David Fraser. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Scott Speedman, Rosario Dawson, Mireille Enos, Kevin Durand, Alexia Fast, Peyton Kennedy. Ego Film Arts. 112 minutes. Rated PG. Drama/Thriller ★★★1/2 Canadian director Atom Egoyan is no stranger to telling stories in unique ways, often fragmenting plots into non-linear narrative. …

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Gary Oldman Fights for Innocence in BackWoods

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj_5873JoRI BackWoods. 2006. Dir. Koldo Serra. Screenplay by Serra & Jon Sagalá. Starring Gary Oldman, Virginie Ledoyen, Paddy Considine, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Jon Ariño, Lluís Homar, and Kandido Uranga. Lionsgate. Rated 14A. 97 minutes. Thriller ★★★★ (Film) ★1/2 (DVD release) This is one of those films I may never have heard of, if only maybe for a late night search …

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