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| EFC STATS |
| Movies Listed: |
24749 |
| Total Ratings: |
242624 |
| Total Reviews: |
25837 |
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| FAST AND FURIOUS 6 |
"With Six, You Get Incalculabe Vehicular Mayhem"
Peter Sobczynski says... "Imagine a group of young boys on the edge of adolescence who are still young enough to be playing with model cars and dreaming up elaborate scenarios involving them but old enough to start appreciating certain attributes of the opposite sex, though the scenarios in this regard may not be quite as elaborate. Now imagine giving those kids millions of dollars to capture all their gearhead fantasies on the big screen, no matter how lunatic, in one loud and lurid package. That, in essence, is what "Fast & Furious 6" is presenting to viewers--an action extravaganza so wildly over-the-top that Luc Besson might be inspired to remark "Oh come on. . ." at more than one point. And yet, it reaches those extremes in such a cheerfully ridiculous manner that only a complete churl would object to it too strenuously and lets face it, if you are a complete churl and are watching this movie in the first place, you pretty much deserve everything that is in store for you." (more)
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| HANGOVER PART III, THE |
"Trilogy Of Terrible"
Peter Sobczynski says... "I found "The Hangover" to be a loathsome example of bully-boy comedy that was crude, sexist, stupid and filled with unlikable people either doing unpleasant things or having them done to them, though my objection was not so much that it was all of those things as it was that it failed to figure out a way of making them even slightly funny in the process. Seeing as how the film grossed nearly a half-billion dollars worldwide, it is safe to say that most of you a.) probably saw the film and b.) probably felt somewhat differently towards it than I did." (more)
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| ICEMAN, THE |
"Definitely Not An X-Men Spinoff"
Eric Lefenfeld says... "While his roles have been more diverse than his reputation might suggest, Michael Shannon has become a poster child for playing emotionally closed-off men that are trying (and mostly failing) to keep the lid on an ever-festering mass of sociopathy. "The Iceman," based on the true story of Richard Kuklinksi, a seemingly mild-mannered family man who lead a decades-long double life as one of the mob’s most notorious hitmen, continues this trend of bug-eyed lunacy, and the always reliable Shannon gives it his all. It's too bad that his more-than-game performance is in service of an aimless and underwhelming script that, if anything, is proof positive that an effective crime drama needs to be rooted in something more than smatterings of violence and period-appropriate facial hair." (more)
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| STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS |
"A step down, but not enough of a mess to incur my Wrath."
Jay Seaver says... "The opening of "Star Trek Into Darkness" is everything I want from this new incarnation of the franchise: An adventure on a faraway planet that could happily be dropped into the original series except for the big, movie-scale stunts and effects. And while the filmmakers eventually pile on too much of what the series doesn't need, it remains fairly exciting for a good while." (more)
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| STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS |
"Into dumbness, more like."
Rob Gonsalves says... ""Star Trek Into Darkness" is such a brooding, portentous title for such a zippy goofball of a movie. Why "Into Darkness"? Probably because it sounds cool." (more)
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| BLACK ROCK |
"Interesting people involved in an average thriller."
Jay Seaver says... "When building a survival-in-the-wild thriller, most writers start with something like "Black Rock" and then add stuff - elaborate kills, extra plot twists, maybe some sort of weird backdrop. That's the usual path, but the makers of this movie come from an indie/minimalist background, so what they come up with is simple but quirky and kind of messy like their comedies and dramas. It's an odd combination of pro-grade talent and do-it-yourself technique." (more)
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| GREAT GATSBY, THE (2013) |
"Project X in 1922"
Daniel Kelly says... "Published the guts of a century ago in 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” has in the decades since been upheld as the very pinnacle of modern American literature. Operating as a roaring piece of escapism, an involving drama and pointed critique on the dangers of hedonism, “The Great Gatsby” is a marvellous work of fiction, thoroughly deserving of its high standing in the 20th century cultural pantheon. Several filmed adaptations have been attempted since the 1920s (most notably the sedate 1974 version penned by Francis Ford Coppola), but none have managed to fully compress all of Fitzgerald’s motifs and delicate stylistic touches into a unified cinematic product. Enter Baz Luhrmann. The flamboyant Australian may have initially seemed like an odd fit for Fitzgerald’s prose, but the film-maker uses his lust for excess to tremendous effect in “The Great Gatsby”. A sumptuous banquet of audio and visual treats, the adaptation delivers an incredibly immersive experience, thanks in no small part to strong casting and an intelligent preservation of the text’s key motifs." (more)
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| STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS |
"Spoilers ahead--you've been warned."
Brett Gallman says... "Upon witnessing the Enterprise’s recovery from a perilous situation in “Star Trek Into Darkness,” Zachary Quinto’s Mr. Spock remarks that there are no such thing as miracles. However, just four years ago, he practically starred in one—by nearly all means, J.J. Abrams’s reboot of the then-moribund “Trek” franchise was at least a minor miracle in its ability to not only resurrect the series but to also do so in spite of a weak script. With this follow-up, Abrams seems to have resigned himself to this business; this time, though, he’s less miracle-worker and more of a one-trick magician, and his powers aren’t quite as potent." (more)
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'A GUN RACK... A GUN RACK. I DON'T EVEN OWN *A* GUN, LET ALONE MANY GUNS THAT WOULD NECESSITATE AN ENTIRE RACK.'
- Wayne Campbell, Wayne's World
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