Author:   Justin Souther

Showing 274-294 of 791 results
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Eric Bana

Lone Survivor

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: Four Navy Seals in the Afghani wilderness are ambushed by Taliban forces. The Lowdown: Its inherent nastiness and fits of being little more than an '80s action movie throwback keep the film from reaching its lofty intentions.
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ko Shibasaki, Tadanobu Asano, Min Tanaka

47 Ronin

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: A group of disgraced samurai set out to avenge the death of their master. The Lowdown: A mix of samurai-movie basics and occasional fantasy elements that combine to make a boring, unmemorable flick.
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, Kim Basinger, Kevin Hart, Jon Bernthal

Grudge Match

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: Two ex-boxers in their 60s renew a 30-year-old rivalry in the ring. The Lowdown: A one-note comedy and a half-baked melodrama that’s too long and too dumb.
Starring: Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Tony Kgoroge, Riaad Moosa

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: The life of Nelson Mandela, from young activist to prisoner to president of South Africa. The Lowdown: A run-of-the-mill biopic, with all the problems that entails, which doesn’t shy away from the pricklier aspects of Mandela’s life but fails to properly illustrate his importance.
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Luke Evans

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: Hobbit Bilbo Baggins and his dwarf companions travel through Middle Earth to breach the lair of a deadly dragon. The Lowdown: Yet another overlong Tolkien adaptation, this one suffers from a sense of corner-cutting and a lack emotional center or any real dramatic arc.
Starring: Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Zoe Saldana, Sam Shepard

Out of the Furnace

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: After the murder of his brother, a steelworker sets out for revenge. The Lowdown: A generally humorless piece of awards-bait that — despite a pulpy foundation — is just too self-serious to be entertaining.
Starring: Jason Statham, James Franco, Winona Ryder, Kate Bosworth, Izabela Vidovic

Homefront

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: A former Drug Enforcement Administration agent gets on the wrong side of a small-time meth dealer. The Lowdown: An unfortunately straight-faced actioner that never embraces its own inherent trashiness.
Starring: Jacob Latimore, Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Tyrese Gibson

Black Nativity

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: A frustrated teen is sent to Harlem for Christmas to stay with his estranged grandparents. The Lowdown: Despite a good heart and a respectful nature, the film lacks visual flare, has no memorable songs and relies too much on contrivances and melodrama.
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Chris Pratt, Cobie Smulders, Simon Delaney, Bobby Moynihan

Delivery Man

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: A deadbeat who donated sperm over 600 times in the ‘90s discovers that he has more than 500 children, with a hundred or so wanting to track him down. The Lowdown: While a low-key performance from Vince Vaughn and an overall kindhearted nature help, the movie’s just too schmaltzy and can’t maintain any…

It’s showtime

Posted on by Justin Souther

While you probably wouldn’t know it, 2013 has been a seminal and perhaps notorious year for movie exhibition. Major studios have been slowly moving away from the use of film stock, forcing movie theaters to either convert to expensive digital projectors or simply shut down.  In small towns across the country, numerous independent theaters are […]

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Christopher Eccleston, Anthony Hopkins

Thor: The Dark World

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: Norse god of thunder and superhero Thor must stop some evil elves from destroying the universe. The Lowdown: An intensely straight-faced, flatly directed, run-of-the-mill fantasy yarn with no originality and little to add to the world of cinema besides providing an advertisement for another Avengers movie.

Funny pages

Posted on by Justin Souther

NC Stage’s production of The Book Club Play attempts to walk a fine line, displaying the transformative power of reading, all the while not being as pretentious, stodgy or boring as that premise might sound. It helps that the story, written by Karen Zacarias, is mostly played for laughs and never lets the proceedings get […]

Starring: Waad Mohammed, Reem Abdullah, Abdullrahman Al Gohani, Ahd, Sultan Al Assaf

Wadjda

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: A young Saudi girl, struggling against the customs and restrictions of her homeland, enters a Koran recitation contest to win enough money to buy a bicycle. The Lowdown: A movie that’s full of ideas and thoughts on Saudi Arabian culture, but is far too quiet and meandering to carry any power.
Starring: Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Mary Steenburgen

Last Vegas

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: A senior citizen and his three buddies reunite for a bachelor party in Las Vegas. The Lowdown: A pleasant enough comedy thanks to its cast, though it’s rarely amusing and far too one-note.
Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Jackson Nicoll, Greg Harris, Georgina Cates

Bad Grandpa

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: Johnny Knoxville in old-man makeup, pulls pranks on unsuspecting bystanders. The Lowdown: A dumb, molasses-paced hidden-camera flick that tries to be both gross and heartfelt, but really just feels pointless.
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Caviezel, Faran Tahir, Sam Neill

Escape Plan

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: A professional escape artist is sent to a secret, illegal prison that’s thought to be impenetrable. The Lowdown: A terminally dumb action picture that makes zero sense, manned by a couple of senior citizens out to prove they’ve still got it. Dreadfully bad.
Starring: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Michael Chernus, Catherine Keener

Captain Phillips

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: The true story of a sea captain who’s taken captive by Somali pirates. The Lowdown: A shallow thriller that’s bogged down by attempts at grandeur and the distinct odor of Oscar bait.