JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS
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Josie And The Pussycats is a film that I think could have appealed to two very separate audiences but instead just ended up getting lost to both.
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This is where you’ll find the full write-ups (check out the “all the movies” section for an easier overview/scroll of all the movies)
THE MAN OF THE YEAR
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Maiquel sees himself as a jobless loser and unattractive to the point where he has always hated looking at himself in the mirror. But when he loses a soccer bet and has to dye his hair blonde, everything changes. He feels like a different person. Which gives him the balls to ask out the hot girl that did his dye job - but it also leads his life down a very violent path.
Read MoreTHE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
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In 1995, at the age of 43, Jean-Dominique Bauby (Jean-Do) had a debilitating stroke that left him completely paralyzed except for his left eye. Over the course of the next two years he used that left eye to blink out his memoir, The Diving Bell And The Butterfly - taking us into the head and dreams and memories of a man 'locked-in'. That book is, obviously, the basis of the similarly titled film from director Julian Schnabel.
Read MoreEASIER WITH PRACTICE
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Davey is an unpublished writer driving around New Mexico with his brother giving readings of his short stories and trying to sell a few copies of his book. One night in his motel he gets a call from Nicole. He doesn't know who she is, but they end up having phone sex - and so begins Easier With Practice.
Read MoreWORLD'S GREATEST DAD
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World's Greatest Dad is a dark comedy from the mind of Bobcat Goldthwait. Who you might remember from his role in three of the Police Academy movies. Or from his infamous appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno back in 1994 when, on impulse, he set the couch on fire. Or maybe you are familiar with his first film, 1991s Shakes The Clown? No? Well, it doesn't matter, because based on that resume one would probably not be expecting much from World's Greatest Dad. But, much is exactly what we got (and I mean that in a very good way).
Read MoreAT HOME BY MYSELF... WITH YOU
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At Home By Myself... With You is a small Canadian film I discovered back in the day on Netflix Canada (not sure if it’s still there). Now, don't let the "quirky" "romantic" Netflix tags scare you off. We all know that romantic comedies - quirky or not - are generally predictable by nature, not always that interesting and often not really that funny. But, it doesn't have to be that way, as At Home By Myself... With You proves.
Read MoreTHE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE
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The first thing that struck me during - but more so after - watching The Notorious Bettie Page, was how the film didn't feel like a typical bio pic. Now, to be honest, I'm not sure why that is, but I have a few ideas.
Read MoreFOUR MINUTES
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Four Minutes (Vier Minuten) is about an elderly piano teacher who trains a young convict at a women's penitentiary. Wait, don't go!!! I know what you’re thinking... It’s Dangerous Minds meets Freedom Writers meets (insert names of any of the dozen other movies where troubled youth are helped by a teach/mentor and everything turns out good in the end). This isn't that though...
Read More44 INCH CHEST
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When Colin finds out his wife has been unfaithful, his friends kidnap the wife's lover and hold him captive so that Colin can get his revenge. So is the story of 44 Inch Chest. The film stars Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson, Stephen Dillane and Ian McShane - and they are all in top form here.
Read MoreAWAY WE GO
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Away We Go is a great little romantic-dramedy that takes our main couple (Burt and Verona) on a road trip of sorts, as they try to decide where to make their life with their baby that is due in three months.
Sam Mendes, known from much darker and dramatic fare (American Beauty, Road To Perdition, Revolutionary Road, 1917...) does a really great job with this film. And the script from Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida (Eggers' wife) is great.
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