Short movie reviews by Adam Jarret
I watch a lot of movies. It runs in my family.
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The Numbers Station (2013)Periodic misdirection offers glimmers of what this movie could have been before snapping back to contrived CIA tripe. Posted May 28, 2015 |
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The Divine Move (2014)Flowing fight choreography set against the background of increasingly high stakes games of Go. Posted May 26, 2015 |
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Stop at Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story (2014)Excoriating and brutal exposition of the scandal that plagued cycling for nearly 20 years. Posted May 19, 2015 |
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WarGames (1983)Iconic Cold War "what if" scenario remains as pertinent and watchable as ever. Posted May 15, 2015 |
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The Great Gatsby (2013)Typical Baz Luhrmann flourishes distract from some committed performances in this glitzy retelling of a great American novel. Posted May 15, 2015 |
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Payback (1999)Grimy and brooding underworld story that works as a revenge tale and not much more. Posted May 14, 2015 |
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Automata (2014)All the makings of great science fiction are present but the movie peters out before expounding any real profundity. Posted May 13, 2015 |
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Maximum Conviction (2012)Laughably phoned in. Steven Seagal makes Steve Austin look like Marlon Brando. Posted May 11, 2015 |
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Ex Machina (2015)Beautiful photography supports a thrilling and unnerving story that leaves an indelible impression. Posted May 10, 2015 |
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The Sunset Limited (2011)Sincere and unrepentant examination of divinity and the human condition via a single expansive conversation. Posted May 9, 2015 |
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Going Clear (2015)Expertly crafted documentary that uncovers the more chilling aspects of Scientology. Posted May 7, 2015 |
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Into the Storm (2014)Lackluster performances and banal plot points with a veneer of (admittedly striking) special effects. Posted May 6, 2015 |
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Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)The expanding universe spoils this outing, smothering all opportunity for real character evolution and chemistry. Posted May 5, 2015 |
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Path to War (2002)Methodical performances of a compelling story. Seemingly thorough if a bit lengthy. Posted May 4, 2015 |
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Blue Streak (1999)Diverting and fun though stereotypes abound and character development is absent. Posted Apr 28, 2015 |
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Three Kings (1999)Strikes an impressive balance between wit and gravitas and manages to illustrate complex points without taking itself overly seriously. Posted Apr 27, 2015 |
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Blackhat (2015)Technical chops fail to compensate for a ho hum plotline. Posted Apr 25, 2015 |
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A Civil Action (1998)A tale of ego, miscalculation and loss marches doggedly to trite redemption and uninspired conclusion. Posted Apr 25, 2015 |
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Congo (1995)Ernie Hudson steals the show in this affable and light hearted African safari adventure. Posted Apr 25, 2015 |
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While We're Young (2015)Wry and pitch perfect, uncannily relatable for 30 and 40-somethings. Posted Apr 25, 2015 |
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Snake Eyes (1998)Fluid camera work is visually arresting but the film stumbles at the finish in this noir-esq detective story set in a hurricane battered Atlantic City. Posted Apr 24, 2015 |
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Drop Zone (1994)Incredibly overacted performances and a silly premise cheesify this formulaic skydiving outing. Posted Apr 22, 2015 |
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Citizen X (1995)Gripping and devastating in equal measure. Excellent performances from an excellent cast. Posted Apr 16, 2015 |
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Tears of the Sun (2003)A familiar ode to American military might fizzles under a thick layer of privileged idealism and clumsy heart string plucking. Posted Apr 7, 2015 |
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Bottle Rocket (1996)This charismatic directorial debut from Wes Andersen lays the groundwork for the style that would become his trademark. Understated delivery of quick dialog from well-defined characters punctuate an engaging story. Posted Apr 4, 2015 |
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The November Man (2014)Tedious spy movie with promising elements and disappointing results. Posted Apr 1, 2015 |
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Collateral Damage (2002)Generic Schwarzenegger watch-it-if-it's-on type movie with typical post-9/11 themes and minimal charm. Posted Apr 1, 2015 |
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Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)Why walk when you can ninja roll? Fun-ish Woo-flavored action supplants the more intricate story of the first installment. Posted Mar 27, 2015 |
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Mission: Impossible (1996)Quality spy thriller that holds up well despite dated technological components. Not the strongest performance from Cruise, but still plenty to like. Posted Mar 24, 2015 |
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The Purge: Anarchy (2014)Fuller realization of the original premise in this fast paced sequel. Solid popcorn flick. Posted Mar 21, 2015 |
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The Purge (2013)Intriguing premise limited by budget but bolstered by convincingly creepy antagonists. Posted Mar 21, 2015 |
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Days of Thunder (1990)Decent by-the-book racing movie with likable characters and 90s charm. Posted Mar 21, 2015 |
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Apollo 18 (2011)Dull and plodding. Fanciful concept sadly amounts to very little. Posted Mar 20, 2015 |
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Taken 3 (2015)A watchable ending to an entertaining franchise. Hardly riveting but performs as expected. Posted Mar 20, 2015 |
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Pi (1998)Jarring and raw, this engaging thriller demands to be noticed and does not disappoint once it has your attention. Posted Mar 20, 2015 |
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Birdman (2014)Bewitchingly shot and masterfully performed with clever storytelling that leaves plenty of room for interpretation. Posted Mar 20, 2015 |
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Whiplash (2014)J.K. Simmons is incredible in this razor sharp exploration of greatness and human ability. An Oscar well earned. Posted Mar 20, 2015 |
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The Pyramid (2014)Abysmal performances of worthless dialog make it impossible to care about any character. Zero suspense, zero payoff. Christ, what a waste of time. Posted Mar 20, 2015 |
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Fire With Fire (2012)Great cast (Bruce Willis, Richard Schiff, Vincent D'Onofrio, Vinnie Jones) wasted on a nothing story with clunky dialog. Coleman (Josh Duhamel) is hard to root for and Hagen's (Vincent D'Onofrio) affected hissing is bizarre. Posted Mar 20, 2015 |
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