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brett michel

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Review: Michael Jackson's This Is It

Is this it?
The Star Wars –style titles that begin Kenny Ortega’s hastily assembled Michael Jackson tribute documentary explain that the film has been whittled down from 100 hours of behind-the-scenes video shot between last April and June during rehearsals for the King of Pop’s planned 50-date “This Is It” London concert series.
By BRETT MICHEL  |  November 12, 2009
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Review: 9

Shane Acker expands his short
"Why is 6 afraid of 7? Because 7-8-9!" Although the logic of this riddle may puzzle adults, the word- (or number-) play slays 'em in the schoolyard.
By BRETT MICHEL  |  September 09, 2009
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Review: Lorna's Silence

A work of near-greatness
Are there many better young actors currently working in film than Jérémie Renier?
By BRETT MICHEL  |  August 13, 2009
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Interview: Pete Docter

3-D or not 3-D? That is the first question . . .
Pete Docter was only the third animator to come aboard Pixar when he joined up in 1990, and he's had a lasting effect at the computer-animation powerhouse.
By BRETT MICHEL  |  May 21, 2009
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Cross country trek

A two-day mission
A two-day mission
By BRETT MICHEL  |  May 05, 2009
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Review: Star Trek

Going boldly and well
The original Star Trek , after all, didn't even complete its five-year mission. Four spinoff TV series, 10 theatrical releases, and millions of dollars of merchandise later, the Enterprise goes back into space with the original cast, if not the original actors. Live long and prosper indeed.
By JEFFREY GANTZ  |  May 11, 2009
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Review: Fired Up!

Despite its Cheerleader Movie appearance, this is very much a Guy Movie
If you're a guy who's reluctant to view a neutered movie (and despite its Cheerleader Movie appearance, this is very much a Guy Movie), you might want to wait for the unrated DVD.
By BRETT MICHEL  |  February 25, 2009
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Review: Friday the 13th (2009)

A suspense-less rampage
Jason Voorhees's bloody hands have developed green thumbs.
By BRETT MICHEL  |  February 12, 2009
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Review: Taken

The stink of producer/co-screenwriter Luc Besson permeates like Roquefort
Pierre Morel's talents as an action cinematographer served him well when he directed District B13.
By BRETT MICHEL  |  January 27, 2009
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2009 Oscar predictions

Martyr complex
This year the Oscars will honor the men who suffer for our sins and the women who don't wear make-up.
By PETER KEOUGH  |  February 11, 2009
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Wish-fulfillment for a burning world

The 2008 heroic holiday DVD and Blu-ray gift guide
From the shining big-screen debut of Iron Man to the large amounts of green produced by the Incredible Hulk, this was the year the public couldn't get enough of their favorite heroes.
By BRETT MICHEL  |  December 11, 2008
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Were the World Mine

A clumsy, queer take on the Bard
High School Musical 3 not quite the gay romp you were hoping for?
By BRETT MICHEL  |  December 05, 2008
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Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Full of raunch and snappy dialogue
Kevin Smith’s ear for raunch is as piquant as ever, but he’s moved beyond his usual unconvincing leads to Judd Apatow regulars Rogen and Craig Robinson.  
By BRETT MICHEL  |  October 28, 2008
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Max Payne

Bloodless, PG-13-rated action noir
No longer the undercover DEA agent of the game, Max oversees NYPD “cold case” files. They don’t come much colder than this one.  
By BRETT MICHEL  |  October 25, 2008
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Body of Lies

Another forgettable thriller
For a film dealing with Intelligence, Body of Lies has little enough of its own.  
By BRETT MICHEL  |  October 16, 2008
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Eagle Eye

A credulity-be-damned plot
The trouble with Shia? He’s no Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, or Cary Grant.  
By BRETT MICHEL  |  October 02, 2008
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Interview: Simon Pegg

Shaun of the Dead star on losing friends, alienating people, and wanking off to Gillian Anderson
Thirty-eight-year-old British actor Simon Pegg’s US star has been on the rise since his zombie-movie parody Shaun of the Dead shuffled into multiplexes back in 2004.  
By BRETT MICHEL  |  October 01, 2008
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My Best Friend's Girl

Predictability ensues. Hilarity doesn’t.
How many awful films must audiences sit through before producers realize that Dane Cook is not a romantic lead?
By BRETT MICHEL  |  September 24, 2008
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The Lucky Ones

A contrived film about the war in Iraq
A roller-coaster ride toward spurious patriotism; a road trip transporting unlucky viewers from hoo-rah to ho-hum.
By BRETT MICHEL  |  September 24, 2008
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Towelhead

A grosteque and unbelievable adaptation
Towelhead is the type of tripe that poses as enlightenment in “important” Oscar winners like Crash and American Beauty .
By BRETT MICHEL  |  September 17, 2008
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Righteous Kill

A predictable, tedious thriller
It’s been nearly a decade since Al Pacino and Robert De Niro were choosing roles based on quality rather than cash.
By BRETT MICHEL  |  September 17, 2008
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The Women

A Botoxed ode to Saks Fifth Avenue
Rewritten, directed, and produced by Diane English in a flat style that betrays both her TV roots and her status as a first-time director.
By BRETT MICHEL  |  September 09, 2008
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Disaster Movie

Devoid of laughs or recognizable actors
Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer (the hacks behind Date Movie and Epic Movie ) unleashed their second witless rehash of pop culture references this year.
By BRETT MICHEL  |  September 03, 2008
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Devil at the Gate

Giving voice to Red Heroine
The ensemble has spent the better part of a decade composing and performing soundtracks for silent films, creating their own brand of musical alchemy.
By BRETT MICHEL  |  September 05, 2008
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars

A stiffly-animated, money-grabbing afterthought
It is Star Wars , but it's also an ad for an upcoming video game and an animated TV series debuting in October.
By BRETT MICHEL  |  August 20, 2008
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Henry Poole Is Here

An unbelievable climax that will test your faith
Hopeless Henry Poole (Luke Wilson), suffering from one of those terminal, nameless movie diseases.
By BRETT MICHEL  |  August 13, 2008
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The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

Disjointed, sketchy, and saccharine
Like Sex and the City: The Movie, Sanaa Hamri’s continuation of the journey of a pair of jeans that magically fit four girls of disparate genes feels tailored for the small screen.
By BRETT MICHEL  |  August 05, 2008
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Bottle Shock

Bland vino
I found myself thinking, “I detect corn, laced with cheese.”
By BRETT MICHEL  |  August 05, 2008
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Paper or plastic?

Baghead keeps itself covered
The Duplass brothers have constructed a compact meta-movie laced with knowing winks.
By BRETT MICHEL  |  July 30, 2008
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The X-Files: I Want To Believe

You’ll want to believe this movie was never made
X-Files creator Chris Carter resurrects Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, only they’re no longer special, and neither are they agents.
By BRETT MICHEL  |  July 30, 2008

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