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All articles by Tim Grierson, Senior US Critic – Page 73
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Reviews
Rush Hour 3
Dir: Brett Ratner. US. 2007. 91mins.No matter how fast Chris Tucker shoots his mouth or Jackie Chan flashes his fists, they can't recapture the charm of the original Rush Hour in this third installment. Almost 10 years removed from the first pairing of these mismatched cop partners, Rush Hour 3's ...
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Reviews
Rocket Science
Dir: Jeffrey Blitz. US. 2007. 98mins.After the success of his Oscar-nominated documentary Spellbound, writer-director Jeffrey Blitz takes a shaky first step into features with Rocket Science. A deadpan high-school comedy about a misfit trying fruitlessly to court the object of his affection, this indie-minded effort suggests a film-maker too enamored ...
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Reviews
Licence To Wed
Dir: Ken Kwapis. US. 2007. 90mins.Two up-and-coming stars get left at the cinematic altar in License To Wed, a badly strained romantic comedy with enough plot contrivances to fill a reception hall. In a supporting role, Robin Williams delivers a (relatively) toned-down performance, but this bit of summer counter-programming lacks ...
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Reviews
Evan Almighty
Dir: Tom Shadyac. US. 2007. 96mins.Borrowing liberally from Field Of Dreams in addition to its previous swipes from Oh, God!, Evan Almighty is an ungainly melding of religious paean, big-budget studio comedy, and summer-blockbuster spectacle. Taking over for Bruce Almighty star Jim Carrey, Steve Carell proves to be a difficult ...
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Reviews
Hostel: Part II
Dir: Eli Roth. US. 2007. 94mins. Two significant story changes notwithstanding, Hostel: Part II stays close to the first film's successful strategy of mixing unsuspecting American tourists with sadistic Eastern Europeans. Writer-director Eli Roth tries to enliven the formula by switching the genders of his victims and by offering an ...
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Reviews
The Condemned
Dir: Scott Wiper. US. 2007. 113mins.Criticising the dumbing-down of entertainment culture while shamelessly catering to the lowest-common denominator, The Condemned gets points for chutzpah but little else. The result, an action film about a hyper-violent reality contest, quickly devolves into a series of hand-to-hand combat scenes that become monotonous since ...
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Reviews
Disturbia
Dir: DJ Caruso. US. 2007. 105mins. A smart teen thriller that ably mixes suspense and adolescent melodrama, Disturbia boasts an articulate script and nuanced performances. Though Rear Window's voyeuristic premise provides the inspiration, this Paramount/DreamWorks release adds hints of Kubrick-ian chills and nicely understated insights into the tumultuous lives of ...
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Reviews
The Hills Have Eyes 2
Dir: Martin Weisz. US. 2007. 89mins. Hoping to wring more money from humans-vs-mutants battles to the death, The Hills Have Eyes 2 offers another round of dull gory fright scenes that neither push the horror envelope nor exhibit any noticeable ingenuity. Borrowing liberally from fear classics like Aliens and The ...
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Reviews
TMNT (TMNT)
Dir: Kevin Munroe. US. 2007. 87mins.Seventeen years after their cinematic debut, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles return with their sweetness and boyish tomfoolery intact. TMNT may substitute CG animation for the earlier films' live-action treatment, but the strongest ingredient remains the four reptiles' incorrigible charm, which easily outclasses a muddled ...
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Reviews
Wild Hogs
Dir: Walt Becker. US. 2007. 99mins. Four suburban buddies confront their mid-life crisis by hitting the highway in Wild Hogs, an extremely pedestrian road movie that sputters along in search of laughs. With much of the comedy coming from failed homo-erotic digs at male bonding, this ensemble piece features several ...
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Reviews
Epic Movie
Dir: Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer. US. 2007. 86mins. A painful regurgitation of memorable moments from recent Hollywood blockbusters, the spoof film Epic Movie is almost entirely devoid of laughs. No matter your opinion of hits such as Pirates Of The Caribbean or The Chronicles Of Narnia, most will agree that ...
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Reviews
Catch And Release
Dir: Susannah Grant. US. 2007. 110mins.An ambitious romantic comedy-drama that tries to find love and humor amidst the tragedy of death, Catch And Release is a jumble of tones searching for a consistent rhythm. In her directorial debut, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Susannah Grant touches on sombre subject matter rarely addressed in ...
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Reviews
The Hitcher
Dir: Dave Meyers. US. 2007. 84mins.The recent assembly-line remaking of recognisable horror titles continues with The Hitcher, a dreary updating of the 1986 Rutger Hauer serial-killer hitchhiker thriller, which disregards character empathy in the pursuit of perfunctory scares. Produced by (among others) Michael Bay, this new version of The Hitcher ...
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Reviews
The Pursuit of Happyness
Dir: Gabriele Muccino. US. 2006. 117mins.Playing against type, Will Smith finds a role wellsuited to his talents in the true-life drama The Pursuit Of Happyness.Though a conventional "inspirational" tale of a saintly underdog findinghard-earned success through sheer will, it stays afloat thanks largely toSmith's effortless charm.In a crowded holidayfilm season, ...
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Reviews
Saw III
Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman. US. 2006. 107mins.Staying mostly faithful to the successful blueprintof its two earlier installments, while deepening the audience's connection withthe franchise's main character, Saw IIIis an adequate sequel that works well enough on its own terms. Saw aficionados should be satisfied bythe results, although the less fanatic ...
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Reviews
Employee Of The Month
Dir: Greg Coolidge. US.2006. 103mins.Neitheroutrageously funny nor sweetly romantic enough to generate much interest, EmployeeOf The Month is anegligible work-place comedy that struggles to establish its personality. Inhis first leading role, standup comedian Dane Cook does what he can withthreadbare material but, more critically, lacks the sort of undeniable screencharisma ...
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Reviews
The Last Kiss
Dir: Tony Goldwyn. US.2006. 105mins.A group of late twentysomethingsgingerly approaches the big 3-0 in TheLast Kiss, a tiring melodrama that coddles its immature characters.Director Tony Goldwyn has gathered an impressive cast, but Crash Oscar-winning screenwriter Paul Haggis' ponderous adaptationof the Italian hit L'Ultimo Baciostrangles the life from this ensemble picture.Starring ...
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Reviews
Snakes On A Plane
Dir: David R. Ellis. US.2006. 106mins.After all its pre-release hype, Snakes On A Plane is as wondrously sillyand ruthlessly unrelenting as one could hope. Though by no means a stellarpiece of cinema, this late-summer thriller is an entertaining B-movie gleefullystuffed with bad tough-guy dialogue, obvious stock characters, cheaptitillation and lots ...
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Reviews
Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby
Dir: Adam McKay. US. 2006.108mins.Even though TalladegaNights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby intermittentlyspins its wheels, crowd-pleaser runs well enough to reach the finish line.Playing to his strengths, star/co-writer/executive producer Will Ferrell reapsmany good comic moments early on in Adam Mckay'sfeature to compensate for a sluggish second half.Set in the world ...
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Reviews
Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby
Dir: Adam McKay. US. 2006. 108mins.Even though TalladegaNights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby intermittentlyspins its wheels, crowd-pleaser runs well enough to reach the finish line.Playing to his strengths, star/co-writer/executive producer Will Ferrell reapsmany good comic moments early on in Adam Mckay'sfeature to compensate for a sluggish second half.Set in the ...