DARKER, ANGRIER ‘SIN CITY’ SEQUEL IS HIT-AND-MISS
By Greg Popil In 2005, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller teamed up to co-direct an adaptation of Miller’s graphic novel “Sin City” and created what many people felt was an evolution in film itself. T...
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‘THE GIVER’ IS DULL, DERIVATIVE
By Greg Popil In 1993, Lois Lowry’s young-adult novel “The Giver” was an award-winning breakthrough, a book that introduced an entire generation to the type of dystopian-future literature that domina...
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‘GUARDIANS’ PUTS THE COMIC BOOK BACK IN ‘COMIC BOOK MOVIE’
By Greg Popil Given how little respect the subgenre of comic book movies receive from filmmakers, critics and audiences alike (right up until it became the most lucrative and beloved subgenre right a...
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STUNNING ‘BOYHOOD’ A MODERN MASTERPIECE
By Greg Popil Chuck Palahniuk’s novel “Fight Club” has an early sequence that would be unfamiliar to fans of the film. When the narrator first encounters Tyler Durden, he is walking on a beach. Tyle...
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LUCY WRESTLES WITH BIG IDEAS
By Greg Popil You have to give director Luc Besson this much credit: He never, ever feels like he’s on autopilot. If Besson were a baseball player he would be one of those frustratingly inconsisten...
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“PURGE” SEQUEL SMARTLY EXPANDS PREMISE
By Greg Popil Ever since the rise of blockbuster culture in Hollywood in the 1980s, the “hook,” or basic premise for a film, has largely taken precedence over characterization, plotting or even story...
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EPIC “DAWN” CONTINUES STUNNING “APES” RESURGENCE
By Greg Popil There are many wonderful pleasures to being a filmgoer, but perhaps the greatest joy someone that really cares about movies can experience is the all-too-rare sensation of watching a mov...
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UNPLEASANT McCARTHY CHARACTER DOOMS “TAMMY”
By Greg Popil Ever since her breakthrough performance in 2011’s surprise smash “Bridesmaids,” Melissa McCarthy has carved out a comfortable niche for herself as America’s anti-sweetheart, playing boor...
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BAY HITS NEW LOWS IN “TRANSFORMERS” SEQUEL
By Greg Popil At this point, criticizing the work of Michael Bay, particularly when he’s playing with his giant robot toys, is kind of like screaming at a hurricane or nitpicking the destructive capab...
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BRUTAL “ROVER” AN OVERDUE SHOWCASE FOR PEARCE
By Greg Popil Post-apocalyptic movies, regardless of the size of the budget or general tone, have always been a showcase for costume designers, set designers and art directors. The very mention of th...
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