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The Tree of Life (2011)
dir. Terrence Malick
Whispering: The Movie. ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz. Second half was much, much better than the first half, but by the time the second half came around, it was almost unsalvageable for me. It's ambitious and I appreciate the movie but it just didn't speak to me at all. I feel like it was really over-edited, too. There were barely any shots that lasted longer than 5 seconds.
Product Decsription:
The long front lawns of summer afternoons, the flicker of sunlight as it sprays through tree branches, the volcanic surge of the Earth's interior as the planet heaves itself into being--you certainly can't say Terrence Malick lacks for visual expressiveness. The Tree of Life is Malick's long-cherished project, a film that centers on a family in 1950s Waco, Texas, yet also reaches for cosmic significance in the creation of the universe itself. The Texas memories belong to Jack (Sean Penn), a modern man seemingly ground down by the soulless glass-and-metal corporate world that surrounds him. We learn early in the film of a family loss that happened at a later time, but the flashbacks concern only the dark Eden of Jack's childhood: his games with his two younger brothers, his frustrated, bullying father (Brad Pitt), his one-dimensionally radiant mother (Jessica Chastain). None of which unfolds in anything like a conventional narrative, but in a series of disconnected scenes that conjure, with poetry and specificity, a particular childhood realm. The contributions of cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and production designer Jack Fisk cannot be underestimated in that regard, and it should be noted that Brad Pitt contributes his best performance: strong yet haunted. And how does the Big Bang material (especially a long, trippy sequence in the film's first hour) tie into this material? Yes, well, the answer to that question will determine whether you find Malick's film a profound exploration of existence or crazy-ambitious failure full of beautiful things. Malick's sincerity is winning (and so is his exceptional touch with the child actors), yet many of the movie's touches are simultaneously gaseous (amongst the bits of whispered narration is the war between nature and grace, roles assigned to mother and father) and all-too-literal (a dinosaur retreats from nearly killing a fellow creature--the first moments of species kindness, or anthropomorphic poppycock?). The Tree of Life premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Palme d'Or there after receiving boos at its press screening. The debate continues, unabated, from that point. --Robert Horton
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Horrible Bosses (2011)
dir. Seth Gordon
Really enjoyed this. Bateman was great, Charlie was just a slightly smarter version of Charlie from Sunny, and Sudekis was better than usual. Spacey was delightfully insane, Colin Farrell was very hilarious, and Jennifer Aniston.....damn. Just god damn.
Product Decsription:
Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, and Charlie Day star in this workplace comedy about three frustrated employees who hatch a plan to kill their micromanaging bosses, only to find their murderous plot snowballing into disaster. Seth Gordon (THE KING OF KONG: A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS) directs a screenplay written by Michael Markowitz, Jonathan Goldstein, and John Francis Daley.
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Green Lantern (2011)
dir. Martin Campbell
Haven't seen it yet, but everyone pretty much ripped it apart. Green Lantern was never that interesting to me, but I'm kinda hyped to see what was so terrible about it.
Product Decsription:
As far as superheroes go, Green Lantern may lack the clean, iconic lines of his more respectable DC counterparts Superman and Batman, but the very wonkiness of the premise (earthling joins elite force of space cops) lends itself to a pulpy, operatic, not-entirely-serious approach. (One of his teammates is a talking carrot, after all.) Capitalizing on a charming performance by Ryan Reynolds, the feature-film adaptation is a big, messy movie that, at its best, generates a feeling of aw-shucks wonder. Much like Thor, it isn't afraid to loosen up on the inner turmoil of its hero and go macro. Based on comic writer Geoff Johns's retrofitting of the title character, the story follows Hal Jordan (Reynolds), an impulsive test pilot whose encounter with a dying alien leaves him with an energy ring capable of weaponizing his imagination. While struggling to master his will-based powers, he must deal with threats both earthbound (a hilariously nebbishy Peter Saarsgard, who may be the first supervillain to rock a hoodie) and galactic. Martin Campbell, a director who specializes in more down-to-earth heroics (Casino Royale,The Mask of Zorro), brings a pleasing matter-of-fact baseline to the proceedings, an approach that makes the increasingly outlandish effects truly feel special when they occur. Green Lantern has its debits, certainly--the lack of a memorable theme, a second act that hems and haws before getting to the action, the standard origin story shoehorning in too many secondary plots--but its final scenes succeed on a Gigantor, cosmic level where most superhero movies fear to tread. The bigger it goes, the more goofily enjoyable it gets. --Andrew Wright
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The Four Feathers (Criterion Collection) (1939)
dir. Zoltan Korda
Product Decsription:
This spectacular Technicolor epic, directed by Zoltán Korda (Jungle Book), is considered the finest of the many adaptations of A.E.W. Mason’s classic 1902 adventure novel about the British Empire’s exploits in Africa, and a crowning achievement of Alexander Korda’s legendary production company, London Films. Set at the end of the nineteenth century, The Four Feathers follows the travails of a young officer (Rembrandt’s John Clements) accused of cowardice after he resigns his post on the eve of a major deployment to Khartoum; he must fight to redeem himself in the eyes of his fellow officers (including The Fallen Idol’s Ralph Richardson) and fiancée (The Thief of Bagdad’s June Duprez). Featuring music by Miklós Rózsa (The Killers) and Oscar-nominated cinematography by Georges Périnal (The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp), The Four Feathers is a thrilling, thunderous epic.
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Workaholics: Season One (2011)
This show came out of fucking nowhere and is now one of the funniest shows on TV. It's already in it's second season after just airing the 1st season early this summer. Very tight butthole.
Product Decsription:
Workaholics is a scripted series that follows three friends fresh out of college who live and work together as telemarketers. Dress codes, deadlines and waking up before noon aren't things these guys are used to. The crew spends their days scheming together to avoid doing any real work and their nights looking for good times.
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The Trip (2010)
dir. Michael Winterbottom
Product Decsription:
When Steve Coogan (24 Hour Party People, Tropic Thunder) is asked by The Observer to tour the country s finest restaurants,he envisions it as the perfect getaway with his beautiful girlfriend. But, when she backs out on him, he has no one to accompany him but his best friend and source of eternal aggravation, Rob Brydon (A Cock and Bull Story). As the brilliant comic duo, freestyling with flair, drive each other mad with constant competition and showdowns of competing impressions of famous celebrities, the ultimate odd couple realize in the end a rich amount about not only good food, but the nature of fame, relationships and their own lives.
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Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1: Season One (2011)
Product Decsription:
Following their 100th episode, the Aqua Teen Hunger Force has gathered their wits and rebranded themselves as hard as they can! As the freshly coined Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1, they're back in the moist, warm saddle that has carried them through the desert of late night television... only this time, they're gonna kick crime in the nuts! 2 disc DVD set featuring 10 AUPS1 episodes as well as the final 7 Aqua Teen Hunger Force episodes not seen on previous releases.
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Snuff Box (2006)
dir. Michael Cumming
I've enjoyed the little bit I've seen of this show, and looking forward to seeing more. Matt Berry is so fucking good.
Product Decsription:
What is SNUFF BOX? It s the legendary BBC series written by and starring Britain s Matt Berry (The IT Crowd, The Mighty Boosh) and American Rich Fulcher (Funny or Die Presents, The Sarah Silverman Program) that only aired once yet instantly achieved entered cult infamy. It s a combination of depraved sitcom about a pair of jovial hangmen and twisted sketch comedy ala Monty Python, filled with bad first dates, time travel, sex, whiskey, awkward moments, random beatings, snappy musical numbers, one very long white hall, rampant swearing and other pleasures. It s the show critics have called one the best kept secrets in the history of British comedy , now on DVD for the first time ever in America!
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Terri (2011)
dir. Azazel Jacobs
Product Decsription:
Life is in session in the year's biggest Sundance hit. Social outcast Terri (Jacob Wysocki) is stuck caring for his uncle (Creed Bratton, TV's The Office) and trying to survive high school. He feels disconnected until his wildly unconventional Vice Principal (John C. Reilly, Walk Hard) inspires him to reach out. Now with the help of beautiful misfit Heather (Olivia Crocicchia, TV's Rescue Me), Terri discovers he doesn’t have to fit in to belong.
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Lucky (2010)
dir. Gil Cates Jr.
Product Decsription:
After Ben wins the lottery, Lucy his childhood crush suddenly becomes obtainable. But she has a hidden agenda; a desire to appropriate all of Bens newfound wealth. Not everything is as it seems and Lucy realizes that she may have married into more than she bargained for when she discovers Bens pastimes include the occasional murder. As the bodies start to pile up, so do her problems and Lucy quickly appreciates that covering up for a fledgling serial killer is not as easy as it seems. If these newlyweds are going to make it work they will have to deal with some skeletons in their closet literally.
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