JOHN WICK: Dog’s Best Friend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AUmvWm5ZDQ John Wick. 2014.  Directed by Chad Stahelski & David Leitch.  Starring Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, and Ian McShane.  Thunder Road Pictures.  Rated 14A.  101 minutes.  Action/Thriller ★★ I, for one, have been a Keanu Reeves fan for a long while now.  When he played Bill for the second time I …

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PRESERVATION is All About Female Survival

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2x8eDLFwuY Preservation. 2015. Directed & Written by Christopher Denham. Starring Wrenn Schmidt, Aaron Staton, and Pablo Schreiber. The Orchard. Not Rated. 90 minutes. Horror/Thriller ★★★ I'm a fan of the survival thriller sub-genre, whether it's something strictly thriller based, or a film that's a little more horror oriented. I've enjoyed films like Southern Comfort, the classic Deliverance, …

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The Deconstructed Life of BIRDMAN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jAfBd3g6bA Birdman. 2014. Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Starring Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, Naomi Watts, Andrea Riseborough, Merritt Wever, and Edward Norton. New Regency Pictures. Rated 14A. 119 minutes. Comedy/Drama ★★★★ Birdman tells the story of Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) who was once playing the superhero Birdman in big movies. Now, he's doing the …

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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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ENEMY is a Beautiful, Dark Mindfuck

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJuaAWrgoUY Enemy. 2014. Dir. Denis Villeneuve. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mélanie Laurent, Sarah Gadon, and Isabella Rossellini. E1 Films. Rated R. 90 minutes. Mystery/Thriller ★★★★★ (Movie) ★★★★ (Blu ray release) I won't waste any time really describing the plot of Denis Villeneuve's Enemy, which is in part based on the novel The Double by José Saramago. You can easily …

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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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SUMMER OF BLOOD: Unlikeable Hipster Vampires

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAtJwbxIrec Summer of Blood. 2014. Directed & Written by Onur Tukel. Starring Onur Tukel, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Vanna Pilgrim, Jason Selvig, and Melodie Sisk. Dark Sky Films. Not Rated. 86 minutes. Comedy/Horror ★★1/2 Erik Sparrow, played by writer and director Onur Tukel, seems to have a stable life - he has a nice job, he …

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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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