http://www.cinemablend.com/ Movie Reviews en-us Copyright 2001-2013 Cinema Blend LLC Sat, 18 May 2013 16:10:10 -0600 CinemaBlend.com josh@cinemablend.com 60 Writer/director Tina Gordon Chism doesn’t strive for any originality with her new film Peeples. It’s basically Jay Roach’s Meet The Parents with an African-American cast, but thanks to an impressive collection of performances and strong characters, ir manages to be a pretty enjoyable experience all the same. Fri, 10 May 2013 14:39:53 -0600 http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Peeples-6401.html http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Peeples-6401.html Sightseers has an intriguing agenda, aiming to tear up modern obsessions and senses of entitlement just like its otherwise average murderers tear up their victims. It's thought provoking for sure, but the protagonists' internalized sense of oppression and rage was revolting to witness, and gave me none of the satisfaction I generally enjoy watching horror movies Fri, 10 May 2013 17:39:58 -0600 http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Sightseers-6396.html http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Sightseers-6396.html The last thing any us needed was another slavish adaptation of this high school syllabus stalwart, and for all the ways it flails, Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby makes enough inventive and fairly amazing choices to earn its outsize existence. Nick pities Gatsby for believing in the green light even when the dream has fallen apart. This movie is the green light. Thu, 09 May 2013 07:25:45 -0600 http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/The-Great-Gatsby-6397.html http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/The-Great-Gatsby-6397.html Take-flight moments of blockbuster bliss are frequent and consistently spectacular, as Abrams continues to prove his rare gift of combining character, plot, comedy and action into setpiece after setpiece, crafting a film that rushes along but never feels frantic. It takes until the walk out of the theater to start to feel frustrated by the clunky references or the mystifying character motivations, as if Abrams and company have put the audience in a trance. Fri, 03 May 2013 13:28:40 -0600 http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Star-Trek-Into-Darkness-6394.html http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Star-Trek-Into-Darkness-6394.html The premise at the heart of The Big Wedding is stupid. The story follows a groom (Ben Barnes) who convinces his divorced mother (Diane Keaton) and his divorced, now remarried father (Robert De Niro) to pretend they’re still together for the benefit of his deeply religious natural birth mother. See? So stupid there’s not even a point in having an is-it-or-isn’t-it debate. It just is. Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:11:30 -0600 http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/The-Big-Wedding-6387.html http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/The-Big-Wedding-6387.html The Avengers is a tough act to follow, but rather than faltering under extreme expectations, Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 does the exact opposite: it soars higher than its title character. Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:58:08 -0600 http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Iron-Man-3-6380.html http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Iron-Man-3-6380.html Ultimately, I'm torn on Mud. Its story was engaging, and the internal struggle of Ellis was cleverly paired with an external struggle to save a man who he feels champions his romantic ideals. However the execution carries a heavy, cynical tone that subverts Ellis's perspective and makes the film's finale seem dubious. Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:51:49 -0600 http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Mud-6378.html http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Mud-6378.html After more than half a decade of making movies in which robots chaotically fight other robots, director Michael Bay has completely changed gears for his latest film, and while the dark crime comedy Pain & Gain is definitely a step in a new direction for the filmmaker, it is still clearly a Michael Bay movie…for better and for worse. Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:54:41 -0600 http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Pain-Gain-6377.html http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Pain-Gain-6377.html Starbuck broaches the ongoing “nature versus nurture” debate by wondering how much of you exists in a person you might have fathered but never met. It’s often coincidental, but always incredibly sweet. It tackles all of its controversies with a light comedic touch that’s backed by an effervescent musical selection that lifts the mood. Mon, 22 Apr 2013 06:21:18 -0600 http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Starbuck-6376.html http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Starbuck-6376.html Kosinski first mapped out the story for Oblivion in a graphic novel, and even at longer than two hours it's too much story for this film to handle-- especially when the director seems to care more about the looks than the narrative anyway. Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:47:28 -0600 http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Oblivion-6373.html http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Oblivion-6373.html Scary Movie 5 is not completely devoid of laughs. In fact, there’s probably the same amount of chuckles to be had in this sequel than in your average marginally funny, somewhat passable comedy. Unfortunately, the ones here are surrounded by so much shit (sometimes literally) that it’s hard to muster up anything more than a half-smile. Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:40:58 -0600 http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Scary-Movie-V-6369.html http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Scary-Movie-V-6369.html It doesn’t reinvent the wheel or offer any particularly interesting camera angles or filmmaking ideas. It’s very conventional in the way it’s put together. Occasionally, it even feels a little sappy and rushed, but its heart is in the right place and it never shies away from the truth. Robinson’s year was partially magical and partially horrifying. Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:03:20 -0600 http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/42-6366.html http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/42-6366.html Upstream Color absolutely deserves a look, though, if you’re exhilarated by the graceful symmetry movement, sound and performance are able to create on screen. Carruth offers Upstream audiences a puzzle, a riddle, a brain tease with an emotional payoff. Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:56:35 -0600 http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Upstream-Color-6358.html http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Upstream-Color-6358.html This Evil Dead takes itself very seriously, and in doing so kills the kind of fun I associate with these movies. This is the Evil Dead mythos through the torture porn imagery made popular by Saw and Hostel, and the results are so grisly that it caused much screaming, gagging, and even some to flee the theater. Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:15:02 -0600 http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Evil-Dead-6356.html http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Evil-Dead-6356.html When dealing with subject matter as interesting and cerebral as hypnosis, with a cast like this and a director like Boyle involved, you expect the script to go the extra mile – which this one fails to really do. Given the genre you can’t help but walk into the movie with an expectation of multiple twists and turns that keep you guessing about what’s actually happening at every moment... Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:56:58 -0600 http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Trance-6355.html http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Trance-6355.html