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The 2003 version of The Italian Job is less of a straightforward remake of the 1969 picture than it is a complete re-interpretation. Enough has changed that it's possible to see the two films not as the same story separated by three decades, but a...

Ever wonder what a mumblecore road trip might be like? Whether intentional or not, that’s what Izzy Gets the Fuck Across Town feels like. (The “u” in the subversively titled film has been censored in posters and other marketing material ...

Who knew the life story of J. Edgar Hoover could be so arid? Actually, that's unfair, but there are stretches of J. Edgar when the proceedings seem to drag. Counterbalancing the occasional bursts of tedium, however, are a tremendous lead performanc...

Jack Reacher has the distinction of being little more than it initially appears to be: a clumsily condensed mystery/thriller novel made into a movie that offers little more than every other clumsily condensed mystery/thriller novel made into a movi...

“I wouldn't bet the mortgage on there being a Jack Reacher 2.” - James Berardinelli, December 2012 Shows how much I know. Even though Tom Cruise’s tarnished star is burning up in the atmosphere and it would be an exaggeration...

Probably the best way to approach a Jack Ryan movie is to look at it like a James Bond film. The lead actor keeps changing, the supporting actors are rarely the same, and the time period varies. Bond is Bond, whether he's played by Sean Connery, Ge...

Jack the Giant Slayer is an enjoyable fantasy/adventure whose magic is partially undermined by marginal 3-D. Once again, the ugliest aspects of this format rear their heads: dim and fuzzy images, lackluster colors, and poor definition. Everything i...

A well-known saying goes something like, "In for a penny, in for a pound," and that seems to be an appropriate way to begin a discussion of John Maybury's The Jacket. A moody psychological thriller tinged with science fiction elements, The Jacket ...

Feature film biographies like Jackie inhabit difficult terrain. They are servants to two masters: the historical record and the needs of artistry. From time-to-time, a great one like Patton or Lincoln comes along but most are run-of-the-mill affairs ...

Of the nine films credited to Quentin Tarantino as a director (combining Kill Bill Volume 1 and Kill Bill Volume 2 into a single entity), Jackie Brown may be the one most deserving of a re-assessment. Released after a three-year break following the...