Author: Justin Souther

Showing 316-336 of 791 results

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

Reviewed by Justin Souther on August 13, 2013August 13, 2013

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The Story: Percy Jackson, the teenage son of Poseidon, must track down the legendary Golden Fleece to save the world. The Lowdown: A snarky attempt at filling the void left over by the end of the Harry Potter series that’s killed by its lack of budget, charm or a decent script.

2 Guns

Reviewed by Justin Souther on August 6, 2013August 6, 2013

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The Story: An undercover DEA agent and an undercover Naval officer are tricked into robbing $43 million from a ruthless CIA agent. The Lowdown: Uneven, convoluted and occasionally ugly buddy-cop flick that’s not as clever or as fun as it thinks it is.

Fruitvale Station

Reviewed by Justin Souther on July 30, 2013July 30, 2013

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The Story: Based on the true story of Oscar Grant — specifically, the final day of his life — a young, black Oakland resident who was gunned down by a police officer on New Year’s Day 2009. The Lowdown: Despite verging a bit too much on ham-fisted melodrama, the film works on a purely emotional…

R.I.P.D.

Reviewed by Justin Souther on July 23, 2013July 23, 2013

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The Story: A murdered cop finds himself in the afterlife and conscripted into the Rest in Peace Department, a law enforcement agency for the dead. The Lowdown: A charmless mix of Men in Black and Ghostbusters that’s only barely watchable, thanks to Jeff Bridges.

Turbo

Reviewed by Justin Souther on July 23, 2013July 23, 2013

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The Story: An everyday garden snail who dreams of speed get superpowers in a freak accident and sets his sights on winning the Indy 500. The Lowdown: Mostly harmless, yet slightly below-average in almost every sense.

Dirty Wars

Reviewed by Justin Souther on July 16, 2013July 16, 2013

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The Story: A globe-trotting American journalist illustrates the ways in which the war on terror has spiraled out of control. The Lowdown: A solemn, heady, but uneven and often-flawed documentary that’s at its strongest when mixing humanity with politics.

Grown Ups 2

Reviewed by Justin Souther on July 16, 2013July 16, 2013

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The Story: A day in the life of the families of the original Grown Ups. The Lowdown: A chintzy, lazy, plotless comedy, whose jokes rely solely on raising the bar on bodily function humor.

White House Down

Reviewed by Justin Souther on July 2, 2013July 2, 2013

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The Story: A squad of right-wing extremists take over the White House, and it’s up to an ex-military bodyguard and the president himself to stop their dastardly plan. The Lowdown: A completely silly, nonsensical and far-too-long actioner that’s only made watchable by a charismatic cast, all of whom are far too talented for this kind…

World War Z

Reviewed by Justin Souther on June 25, 2013June 25, 2013

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The Story: After an outbreak of zombies crushes civilization, a U.N. investigator sets out to find a cure. The Lowdown: An occasionally entertaining take on a worn-out subgenre.

Monsters University

Reviewed by Justin Souther on June 25, 2013June 25, 2013

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The Story: A prequel to Monsters, Inc., chronicling the college years of monsters Mike and Sully. The Lowdown: A handsome-looking, painless animated flick whose run-of-the-mill story makes it unmemorable.

This Is the End

Reviewed by Justin Souther on June 18, 2013June 18, 2013

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The Story: A group of actors — playing exaggerated versions of their real-life selves — are trapped in a house during the Apocalypse. The Lowdown: A generally one-note, incredibly uneven, crass comedy that meanders and is far too in love with itself.

The Internship

Reviewed by Justin Souther on June 11, 2013June 11, 2013

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The Story: Two washed-up, unemployed salesmen try to sneak their way into a job at Google via a competitive internship. The Lowdown: A generally harmless, horribly contrived comedy that’s not very funny.

After Earth

Reviewed by Justin Souther on June 4, 2013June 4, 2013

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The Story: In the distant future, a father and son crash their spacecraft onto Earth, which has now become a dangerous, uninhabitable planet for humans. The Lowdown: Despite some ambition and a surprisingly grim tone, the film suffers from its simplistic nature, silly acting and too much goofy sci-fi nonsense.

Now You See Me

Reviewed by Justin Souther on June 4, 2013June 4, 2013

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The Story: Four stage magicians perform an improbable heist live on a Vegas stage, and it’s up to a nay-saying detective and a professional debunker to thwart their next moves. The Lowdown: Convoluted and never as clever as it thinks it is. But as simple, pure entertainment, it’s none too shabby.

The Hangover Part III

Reviewed by Justin Souther on May 28, 2013May 28, 2013

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The Story: The boys of the Hangover movies return, as they’re forced to track down drug dealer Chow and return the money he’s stolen before their friend is murdered by a crime boss. The Lowdown: A surprisingly straightforward and unfortunately sentimental end to the franchise that feels limp and pointless.

Gimme the Loot

Reviewed by Justin Souther on May 14, 2013May 14, 2013

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The Story: Two small-time graffiti artists concoct a plan to tag the large, mechanized apple at the Mets’ Citi Field, but must scrounge up $500 to make it happen. The Lowdown: A small, natural-feeling indie flick with a ton of heart.

Review and photos: Danny Brown and Kitty

Posted on May 7, 2013May 7, 2013 by Justin Souther

I read somewhere once long ago about Steve Albini’s thoughts on live music. Basically, he posited, there are two kinds of artists — those who care only about the live show and use their recordings as a document of them, and, of course, vice versa. Brown falls somewhere closer to the former. It’s just him, a microphone, his DJ Skywlkr and a whole, whole lot of energy. Photos by Rich Orris

Lore

Reviewed by Justin Souther on May 7, 2013May 7, 2013

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The Story: At the end of World War II, the children of a Nazi officer must make their way, by themselves, across occupied Germany. The Lowdown: An occasionally ugly, emotionally detached film that scores points for its complexity and ability to never cop out.

Pain & Gain

Reviewed by Justin Souther on April 30, 2013April 3, 2015

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The Story: The real-life tale of three dim-witted, steroid-riddled bodybuilders’ kidnapping and extortion scheme that eventually goes awry. The Lowdown: While occasionally falling prey to director Michael Bay’s worst habits, the finished product is incredibly entertaining, wonderfully absurd and boasts a superb cast — assuming you can handle Bay’s overbearing directorial style.

Room 237

Reviewed by Justin Souther on April 30, 2013April 30, 2013

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The Story: Five subjects give their thoughts and — sometimes bizarre — theories on Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. The Lowdown: An entertaining — assuming you don’t take the ideas being presented too seriously — look at the way art and film are often overly-dissected and analyzed.

The Lords of Salem

Reviewed by Justin Souther on April 23, 2013April 23, 2013

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The Story: After receiving a mysterious record in the mail, a radio DJ begins having strange visions that tie back into the Salem witch trials. The Lowdown: Director Rob Zombie’s most atmospheric, moody and downright strange film to date. A heavily symbolic piece of weirdo horror that’s the filmmaker’s best.

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