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Black Swan

Darren Aronofsky, who used the cheesiness of professional wrestling as the backdrop for a powerful, tragic character study, has moved behind the scenes of another kind of performance. One doesn't often think of ballet, with its graceful moves and u...

Run Time: 1:47
U.S. Release Date: 2010-12-03
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Violence)
Genre: THRILLER
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Cast: Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, ...
Blacklight

It’s February. That means it’s time for cold weather and snow, groundhogs having their day, and Liam Neeson coming out with yet another kick-ass action/thriller. (Do not confuse the term “kick-ass” with “good” or even “watchable.”)...

Run Time: 1:48
U.S. Release Date: 2022-02-11
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Mark Williams
Cast: Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, Taylor John Smith, ...
Blade

Vampires. Few creatures of legend speak to human terror on a more fundamental level. Ever since the silent days of movies, when F.W. Murnau chilled audiences with Nosferatu, a creepy, atmospheric adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, film-goers ha...

Run Time: 2:00
U.S. Release Date: 1998-08-21
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity, Sexual Situations)
Genre: ACTION/HORROR
Director: Stephen Norrington
Cast: Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, ...
Bliss

Bliss is one of those Twilight Zone/Outer Limits-type stories that, when presented at a high level, sounds compelling. With its blend of existential science fiction and character-based romance, it would seem to be as close to a can’t-miss pr...

Run Time: 1:43
U.S. Release Date: 2021-02-05
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Drugs)
Genre: Science Fiction
Director: Mike Cahill
Cast: Owen Wilson, Salma Hayek, Nesta Cooper
Bobby

In the movie business, there's no such thing as "truth in titling." If there was, Bobby would be called A Bunch of Boring, No-Name, Cookie-Cutter Characters. Although that lacks the brevity and appeal of the real title, it's more illustrative of ...

Run Time: 1:52
U.S. Release Date: 2006-11-17
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Violence, Sexual Situations, Drugs)
Genre: DRAMA
Director: Emilio Estevez
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, Christian Slater, ...
Boogeyman, The

For many years, the narrative existed that Hollywood didn’t understand how to make a good Stephen King movie. Oh, there were counterexamples and The Shining has its supporters (the author is not among them) but the prevailing mantra went somethi...

Run Time: 1:39
U.S. Release Date: 2023-06-02
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Child Imperilment, Bullying, Intense Terror)
Genre: Horror
Director: Rob Savage
Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, Vivien Lyra Blair, ...
Book Thief, The

I don't know whether Markus Zusak's young adult bestelling novel The Book Thief should be considered "unfilmable" but the adaptation, written by Michael Petroni and directed by Brian Percival, makes a compelling case that it shouldn't have been fil...

Run Time: 2:11
U.S. Release Date: 2013-11-08
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Disturbing Images)
Genre: DRAMA
Director: Brian Percival
Cast: Sophie Nelisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, ...
Bottle Rocket

Bottle Rocket starts and finishes strong, but, somewhere in the middle, it loses its focus and its way. Concentrating on a trio of incredibly inept criminals, there are times when this film seems like Reservoir Dogs as directed by Kevin Smith (Cle...

Run Time: 1:32
U.S. Release Date: -
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Violence, Sexual Situations)
Genre: COMEDY
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Luke Wilson, Owen C. Wilson, Robert Musgrave, ...
Box of Moonlight

Tom DiCillo's offbeat Box of Moonlight is a film that I wanted to like a great deal more than I actually did. DiCillo is one of those few quirky directors who loves to play with both his audience and his subject matter. Unfortunately, all the lit...

Run Time: 1:50
U.S. Release Date: 1997-08-08
MPAA Rating: "R" (Nudity, Profanity, Violence)
Genre: DRAMA
Director: Tom DiCillo
Cast: John Turturro, Sam Rockwell, Catherine Keener, ...
Boy in the Striped Pajamas,The

Possible Spoilers: Although this review does not explicitly reveal the ending of the movie, there are enough insinuations that one can make some assumptions about what might happen. The Holocaust is one of the great tragedies in recent human h...

Run Time: 1:38
U.S. Release Date: 2008-11-07
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Mature Themes, Violence)
Genre: DRAMA
Director: Mark Herman
Cast: Asa Butterfield, David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga, ...