James Patterson – Movie Reviews – #’s
MOVIE REVIEWS – #’S
2 Guns
Denzel Washington is great again. Mark Wahlberg is pretty terrific. A potentially classic shoot-em-up dragged down by the final act. Too much bang-bang, not enough hah-hah.
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The 5th Wave
One of my favorite YA novels turned into a very predictable, so-so, badly-shot film. C
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7 Days in Entebbe
Very dramatic, good acting, good directing and it also very emotionally illustrates how little progress has been made in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. B+
10 Cloverfield Lane
Fresh, scary, slow at times. B+
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12 Strong
This is a powerful story that most people don’t know. The execution is a little too gung-ho and unbelievable, for me but the acting is strong. B
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
I don’t want to get into the politics on this one, but it does give a feel for how our sadly neglected troops have to deal with things in the Middle East. The story is definitely worth telling. There was way too much video-game style battle scenes for me. B
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20 Feet from Stardom
If you like rock-and-roll this is a must. Everything you should have wanted to know about back-up singers.
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21 and Over
Pick of the Week
It’s The Hangover for the 25-and-under set. And me.
22 Jump Street
Funny. But I thought it would be even funnier.
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50/50
Movies about illnesses like cancer are very tricky. I lost the love of my early life to cancer so I was a little agitated going to this film. It’s supposed to be a comedy and it is funny in parts but I suspect a lot of people will avoid it. It’s bad enough having to deal with cancer in real life.
88 Minutes
Having read several of the newspaper critics I went into this one expecting the worst, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it was made out to be. There’s not much logic here, and at times it does operate like a TV movie, but the pace it good, and I for one happen to enjoy Al Pacino going over the top as an actor.
99 Homes
Pick of the Week
Terrific acting—and a very good story—but it will probably depress the hell out of you. A-
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127 Hours
When this flick began there were 7 of us in the theater. Twenty minutes later, I was the only courageous one still there. Somehow the idea of spending the next hour waiting for an amputation without any anesthesia didn’t seem like the best way to spend my afternoon. I bolted as well.
300: Rise of an Empire
A whole lot more violent than Silence of the Lambs—but that seems to be okay with the critics. This film is based on history, right? Right.
On DVD: Amazon
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1408
Pick of the Week
Recently Stephen King commented that he doesn’t have any respect for me. Doesn’t make too much sense-I’m a good dad, a nice husband-my only crime is I’ve sold millions of books. As far as 1408 goes, what can I say, I liked it-the first third is especially fine. I’m a John Cusack fan and, in terms of the books anyway, a Stephen King fan, too.