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Labels: Emma Stone, film, Jeff Daniels, Lisa Kudrow, movie trailer, Ryan Reynolds

Short Review: You have Wolverine, the coolest of all superheroes. You have him in his own origin movie completely unleashed from those stupid X-Men movies. How do you screw this up?

Well, apparently just like this.



Have you have seen a basketball player break away with the ball and sprint down the court all alone, no one in sight? They carefully, and skillfully approach the hoop and go for a simple layup.

And miss.

That is this movie.

If you have any expectations just assume they will not be met. Hugh Jackman fronts this, what should be the first in a series of Wolverine films. Instead of launching a new franchise, he's the captain on a rocket that explodes on the pad. I take that back, it pathetically fizzles and slowly falls over.

What's wrong? The film never gains any lift, it feels tired and slow. The main conflict doesn't have enough weight behind it because the narrative needlessly shifts from place to place from character to character without settling on a solid, meaningful path.

There's nothing wrong with the performances and there is certainly nothing wrong with the production in general. This is a well made film in many respects. The problem completely lies in the script by David Benioff (Troy) and Skip Woods (Swordfish). If this film would have had a straight, good guy/bad guy storyline and dropped all of the pitstops this would have been a watchable wad of Hollywood nonsense.




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The Fountain (2006)


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DarkMatters
Christianity Today

Labels: Dominic Monaghan, film, Gavin Hood, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Lynn Collins, movie review, Ryan Reynolds, superhero

Screenwriter: Greg Mottola (The Daytrippers)
Director: Greg Mottola (Superbad)
Actors: Jesse Eisenberg (The Wedding Party), Kristen Stewart (Twilight), Martin Starr (Good Dick) and Ryan Reynolds (Just Friends)

Labels: film, Kristen Stewart, movie trailer, Ryan Reynolds

Screenwriters: David Benioff (The Kite Runner)
Director: Gavin Hood (Tsotsi)
Actors: Hugh Jackman (The Fountain), Ryan Reynolds (Smokin' Aces), Liev Schreiber (The Manchurian Candidate) and Dominic Monaghan (Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers)

Labels: film, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, movie trailer, Ryan Reynolds

Looks boilerplate but Bullock and Reynolds both have considerable on-screen charm and have used it to turn around other projects (Miss Congeniality and Just Friends). This will probably be in theaters for a couple weeks but kill when it hits DVD.




Screenwriter: Pete Chiarelli
Director: Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses)
Actors: Sandra Bullock (Speed), Ryan Reynolds (Just Friends), Mary Steenburgen (Step Brothers), Craig T. Nelson (The Incredibles) and Betty White (Bringing Down the House)

Labels: Craig T Nelson, film, Mary Steenburgen, movie trailer, Ryan Reynolds, Sandra Bullock

It is a great deal better than it looks. Not given much of a plot to work with, the cast and crew end with a surprisingly entertaining comedy. A young man returning to his hometown, having left years ago fat and heartbroken, is now successful and fit. He tries to lure his old high school crush. Ryan Reynolds and Anna Faris provide their best work. He plays off his natural charm, she pulls off a hilarious mockery of Britney Spears. Not a brilliant film but good if you're looking to turn your brain off for a while.

Please note, for those who are sensitive to coarse material, there is plenty of low brow jokes littered throughout this movie. Consider yourself warned. The crudity is well played and clever, but crude just the same.


Related Reviews:
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Blade: Trinity (2004)
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A Nutshell Review

Labels: Amy Smart, Anna Faris, comedy, film, movie review, Ryan Reynolds

There are plenty of guns, shooting, blood and cursing - so its a little like hanging out Tom Sizemore on a Friday night.

This film is a well stylized bullet fest with some very clever dialog thrown in for good measure. If hyperbolic, posturing characters and ridiculous gunplay are your thing, you’re in for a ride, but I wouldn't recommend this personally. While inventive, it unashamedly dips into coarse violence for the sake of simply being violent. The smart dialog and sharp filmmaking give the impression there's something more going on than blood and guts, but there isn't. This is all flash and no substance.

Overall, this is a smart person’s version of a dumb shoot ’em up - but if you're smart enough for this movie, you're probably too smart to want to sit through it.



Related Reviews:
Ryan Reynolds movies
Blade: Trinity (2004)
Just Friends (2005)


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Labels: Ben Affleck, Common, FBI, film, mob, movie review, Ryan Reynolds, shoot em up

Labels: Emily Mortimer, film, movie review, Ryan Reynolds

Labels: Ben Affleck, Common, FBI, film, mob, movie trailer, Ryan Reynolds, shoot em up