Author:   Justin Souther

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Screen shot

Posted on by Justin Souther

Music Video Asheville goes big Music Video Asheville is having a banner year. The local event, which marks its seventh year on Wednesday, April 16, received a record number of submissions and moved into a new venue. Produced for the third year in a row by Kelly Denson and Jason Guadagnino of Asheville’s Lush Life […]

Starring: Jason Bateman, Rohan Chand, Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney, Philip Baker Hall

Bad Words

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: A foul-mouthed 40-something finds a loophole for entering a children’s spelling bee, which he plans on making a mockery of. The Lowdown: An occasionally amusing, sometimes sweet comedy with solid direction that unfortunately does little to be memorable.
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Olivia Williams, Sam Worthington, Mireille Enos, Joe Manganiello

Sabotage

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: After stealing $10 million from a drug cartel, the members of an elite DEA task force start turning up dead. The Lowdown: An idiotically plotted, unlikable, laborious action movie that’s both tasteless and boring.

Funny business

Posted on by Justin Souther the.running.board@gmail.com

It’s no secret that the Internet has changed the way we consume entertainment. And sketch comedy, with its compact, easily digestible format, is tailor-made for sharing on social media. Get on Facebook, and there’s a three-minute clip from Portlandia. Log on to Twitter, and someone’s passing around a Key & Peele skit. In a way, […]

Starring: Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey, Ty Burrell, Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson

Muppets Most Wanted

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: The Muppets are unknowingly entangled in an international art theft after Kermit the Frog is mistaken for a master criminal and thrown in prison. The Lowdown: A harmless little movie that exists solely for diehard Muppet fans and is more cute than entertaining.
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Jai Courtney, Kate Winslet, Zoe Kravitz

Divergent

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: In the future, society has been separated into factions as a means of keeping the peace, but one girl — who discovers she may be factionless — tries to fit in with a new group as a means of survival. The Lowdown: An overlong, joyless film that fancies itself as heady sci-fi. It's…
Starring: Kurt Russell, Matt Dillon, Jay Baruchel, Terence Stamp, Kenneth Welsh

The Art of the Steal

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: An ex-con and former art thief agrees to a heist with his half brother, who betrayed him and sent him to prison. The Lowdown: An occasionally amusing, mildly clever heist film with a small budget but a game cast that keeps things together.
Starring: Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Scott Mescudi, Michael Keaton

Need for Speed

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: After being framed for murder, a race car driver seeks revenge behind the wheel. The Lowdown: An imminently brain-dead movie that’s occasionally fun but way too long and way too straight-faced to get the most out of its inherent stupidity.
Starring: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Hans Matheson, Callan Mulvey, Lena Headey

300: Rise of an Empire

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: The navy of Athens attempts to thwart a sea-born invasion from the Persian Empire. The Lowdown: A pointless excuse for a lot of unexciting bloodletting with no thematic direction and zero vision.

Night life

Posted on by Justin Souther the.running.board@gmail.com

“It started with a passion project — me wanting to do Twelfth Night — and finding some means to make it happen,” explains Ken Knight who, with the help of co-producer Bonnie Allen, has formed Knights of Allentown, a new theater company with an enthusiastic approach to the arts. The group’s first production is of […]

Starring: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy, Michelle Dockery, Nate Parker

Non-Stop

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: A U.S. Air Marshall on an intercontinental flight must go into action after receiving text messages threatening to kill the passengers on board if demands aren't met. The Lowdown: With a plot that can’t stand up to any real scrutiny, this mindless thriller is nothing more than silly entertainment.
Starring: Diogo Morgado, Sebastian Knapp, Darwin Shaw, Roma Downey, Greg Hicks

Son of God

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: The story of the life of Jesus Christ, from his birth, to the Crucifixion and Resurrection. The Lowdown: An overly sincere, bombastic, dramatically inert and melodramatic film that adds nothing to the story of Jesus’ life.
Starring: Kevin Costner, Amber Heard, Hailee Steinfeld, Connie Nielsen, Tómas Lemarquis

3 Days to Kill

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: A CIA agent’s dying wish to reconnect with his estranged family is derailed when he’s offered a miracle cure for his disease — but only if he kills an especially nefarious target. The Lowdown: A disjointed, aimless and occasionally ugly action picture with zero spark.
Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley

RoboCop

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: After nearly being killed, Detroit cop Alex Murphy is resurrected in a mechanical body to fight crime as RoboCop. The Lowdown: A dull, uninspired remake traipsing around as high-minded social commentary, but really saying very little.
Starring: Michael Ealy, Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Joy Bryant, Christopher McDonald

About Last Night

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: The ups and downs of two disparate couples over the course of a year. The Lowdown: A none-too-original romantic comedy that is nevertheless likable, often amusing and refreshingly adult.
Starring: (Voices) Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson

The Lego Movie

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: An uninteresting Lego figure — living in a Lego world — is chosen to fulfill a prophecy that will free his people. The Lowdown: A fun, often cute (and eventually sappy) movie that’s enjoyable but disposable.
Starring: Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Gattlin Griffith, Clark Gregg, Tobey Maguire

Labor Day

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: A depressed mother and her son take in an escaped prisoner over Labor Day weekend in 1987. The Lowdown: An overall well-crafted film with quick flashes of something more that’s too stilted, unrealistic and treacly to work.
Starring: Kevin Hart, Ice Cube, Tika Sumpter, John Leguizamo, Laurence Fishburne

Ride Along

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: A loudmouthed security guard goes on a ride along with his girlfriend’s hard-as-nails police officer brother. The Lowdown: A poorly written, poorly executed buddy cop film with all the cliches that come along with it.