CultureVulture's stats
- Review count31
- Helpfulness votes21
- First reviewApril 17, 2008
- Last reviewJune 18, 2013
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.4
Overall rating
4
/
5
Comic Duo Does It Again!
PostedJune 18, 2013
CultureVulture
from Bethesda, MD
Age:45 to 54
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
Dialogue
4
/
5
Special Effects
3
/
5
Art Direction
3
/
5
Acting
4
/
5
Story
4
/
5
Camerawork
4
/
5
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson team up again as suddenly out-of-work salesmen who decide to tryout to be Interns at Google.
This improbable task takes on quite a few comic moments, as the they approach their tasks with optimistic gusto so as to convince their teammates that they can actually succeed in winning the day.
Amusing cameos by John Goodman and Will Ferrell help ad spice
to the adventure!
Director Shawn Levy keeps the pace fast enough to make the near 2-hour opus move along nicely.
Although Vince Vaughn's writing could use more truly funny lines, there are enough laughs to make the film worth the attendees' time!
Recommended for most audiences who don't mind mild sexuality and a few crude bits.
This improbable task takes on quite a few comic moments, as the they approach their tasks with optimistic gusto so as to convince their teammates that they can actually succeed in winning the day.
Amusing cameos by John Goodman and Will Ferrell help ad spice
to the adventure!
Director Shawn Levy keeps the pace fast enough to make the near 2-hour opus move along nicely.
Although Vince Vaughn's writing could use more truly funny lines, there are enough laughs to make the film worth the attendees' time!
Recommended for most audiences who don't mind mild sexuality and a few crude bits.
Pros well paced
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Downey Rocks The Suit(s)!!
PostedMay 19, 2013
CultureVulture
from Bethesda, MD
Age:45 to 54
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
Dialogue
4
/
5
Special Effects
5
/
5
Art Direction
5
/
5
Acting
5
/
5
Story
4
/
5
Camerawork
5
/
5
Disney took over and has produced the best, most humorous, tightly directed Iron Man yet!! Robert Downey outdoes his previous "Men" by a long shot. His comic/dramatic timing are perfect for this somewhat long-winded sc-fi film. Although action-packed, the 2hr plus epic is filled with enough of a thrill-ride that is well worth the wait!! Surrounded by a superb cast, including Gwyeneth Paltrow(Pepper Potts) and an all too small roll of a faux villain, Mandarin(Ben KIngsley), who effectively performs both menacingly and comically, Iron Man 3 made for a fun, whirlwind time at the movies!! The film was originally filmed in 2-D, which made the post-production 3-D version, which I saw, less impacting and was not worth the extra bucks I paid ! Save your money and see the 2-D version. Lots of violence and blood may make this make this opus tough to take for some!! Not really a family picture. Edit
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
2
/
5
Good Premise, Bad Presentation!
PostedNovember 27, 2012
CultureVulture
from Bethesda, MD
Age:45 to 54
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
Dialogue
2
/
5
Special Effects
3
/
5
Art Direction
3
/
5
Acting
3
/
5
Story
2
/
5
Camerawork
2
/
5
After much critical hype and at the prodding of a good friend, I decided to subject myself to this 90-minute look at video games whose characters come-to-life.
Although the premise was quite promising and the key characters were at times entertaining, in the last analysis, the film drifted into the banal and outright boring!!
Even the otherwise stellar vocal performances of John C Reilly(Ralph), Sarah Silverman(Vanelliope), Jack McBrayer(Fix-it Felix) and Jane Lynch(Sgt. Calhoun)had their moments, it was the overall story-line of the film that eventually sent this primarily kiddie pic into a nauseating tail-spin from which it never recovered!!
Too much time was spent in "Sugar Rush" Land to carry this film to a more satisfying conclusion!
Unless you like to view brilliantly illustrated sweets for 30-minutes, the extra money spent for the 3-D version was quite a waste!
While some small children may find this amusing, most adults will, probably, be anxious for the exits as the film progresses!
Although the premise was quite promising and the key characters were at times entertaining, in the last analysis, the film drifted into the banal and outright boring!!
Even the otherwise stellar vocal performances of John C Reilly(Ralph), Sarah Silverman(Vanelliope), Jack McBrayer(Fix-it Felix) and Jane Lynch(Sgt. Calhoun)had their moments, it was the overall story-line of the film that eventually sent this primarily kiddie pic into a nauseating tail-spin from which it never recovered!!
Too much time was spent in "Sugar Rush" Land to carry this film to a more satisfying conclusion!
Unless you like to view brilliantly illustrated sweets for 30-minutes, the extra money spent for the 3-D version was quite a waste!
While some small children may find this amusing, most adults will, probably, be anxious for the exits as the film progresses!
Cons boring too long
No, I do not recommend this movie.
Share:
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Oscars For A Funny, Touching Film!!
PostedNovember 25, 2012
CultureVulture
from Bethesda, MD
Age:45 to 54
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
Dialogue
5
/
5
Special Effects
4
/
5
Art Direction
4
/
5
Acting
5
/
5
Story
5
/
5
Camerawork
4
/
5
You could subtitle this "Crazy Boy Meets Crazy Girl", but that is only part of the story!
With tight scripting, excellent directing, and great casting, writer-Director David O. Russell captures a wild, crazy, yet still quite touching tale of two broken-hearts, Pat (Bradley Cooper) and Tiffany(Jennifer Lawrence) who are in desperate need of repair.
While jogging, he meets his "match" in Tiffany, who eventually convinces him to partner with her in a dance contest. The contest ironically becomes part of a larger wager involving his dad, Pat Sr.(Robert De Niro), a bookie by trade!
Throughout, the delicate story of several characters with various types of mental illness is handled very adeptly by all and creates an often riotously funny and sometimes touching tale of people trying so hard to cope with their inner conflicts with the outside world.
Cooper, Lawrence, De Niro and Russell all deserve Oscar nominations for their respective contributions to this thoroughly engaging film!
With tight scripting, excellent directing, and great casting, writer-Director David O. Russell captures a wild, crazy, yet still quite touching tale of two broken-hearts, Pat (Bradley Cooper) and Tiffany(Jennifer Lawrence) who are in desperate need of repair.
While jogging, he meets his "match" in Tiffany, who eventually convinces him to partner with her in a dance contest. The contest ironically becomes part of a larger wager involving his dad, Pat Sr.(Robert De Niro), a bookie by trade!
Throughout, the delicate story of several characters with various types of mental illness is handled very adeptly by all and creates an often riotously funny and sometimes touching tale of people trying so hard to cope with their inner conflicts with the outside world.
Cooper, Lawrence, De Niro and Russell all deserve Oscar nominations for their respective contributions to this thoroughly engaging film!
Pros well paced, great story, great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Best Bond Pic In Years!
PostedNovember 19, 2012
CultureVulture
from Bethesda, MD
Age:45 to 54
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
Dialogue
5
/
5
Special Effects
5
/
5
Art Direction
5
/
5
Acting
5
/
5
Story
5
/
5
Camerawork
5
/
5
Thanks to Judy Dench (M) and Daniel Craig(007), Sky Fall represents the best for director,actors and characters.
It truly establishes Craig as a solid "Bond"!!
From the opening scenes of tough decisions and fast-paced chases, this film creates an exciting, tough,subtly clever, and occasionally well-timed humor that leads to a violent, whirlwind finale that is both satisfying and sad at the same time!!
This is a "transition" movie for the franchise both in style and in leadership for the "MI6" team!
With the "PG-13" rating, for violence mostly, this version is best suited for an elder teen and up and the true "Bond" fans who enjoy a 2 hour plus film that is a genuine thrill from beginning to end!!
It truly establishes Craig as a solid "Bond"!!
From the opening scenes of tough decisions and fast-paced chases, this film creates an exciting, tough,subtly clever, and occasionally well-timed humor that leads to a violent, whirlwind finale that is both satisfying and sad at the same time!!
This is a "transition" movie for the franchise both in style and in leadership for the "MI6" team!
With the "PG-13" rating, for violence mostly, this version is best suited for an elder teen and up and the true "Bond" fans who enjoy a 2 hour plus film that is a genuine thrill from beginning to end!!
Share:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Important and Timely Film!!
PostedSeptember 17, 2012
CultureVulture
from Bethesda, MD
Age:45 to 54
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
Dialogue
4
/
5
Special Effects
1
/
5
Art Direction
4
/
5
Story
5
/
5
Camerawork
5
/
5
If you are still undecided about this year's elections, you will want to see Dinesh D'Souza's "Obama's America"!!
An immigrant from anti-colonialist and poor India himself, D'Souza
leaves little doubt as to the motivations for Pres Obama's agenda
for America!!
leaves little doubt as to the motivations for Pres Obama's agenda
for America!!
Obama's father's Kenyan anti-colonialist philosophy of top-down government and anti-capitalist economy have deeply influenced
this President down to the core!!
this President down to the core!!
From Obamacare, steep borrowing and burdensome regulations
domestically to his Globalism(Disarmament and UN control), this film attempts to show that Obama is clearly anti-American and wishes to diminish America's Superpower status!
domestically to his Globalism(Disarmament and UN control), this film attempts to show that Obama is clearly anti-American and wishes to diminish America's Superpower status!
With a kind of travelogue-style, D'Souza traces the roots of Obama's
philosophical evolution from boyhood to present influences for his
presidential agenda!!
philosophical evolution from boyhood to present influences for his
presidential agenda!!
While we are saddened by the fact that Barack's father virtually abandons him to the care of his mother, Anne Dunham, yet, are struck by how strongly he is positively influenced by that same father's politics!!
We no longer wonder why Obama acts as he does!!
If only America had known what ii now does about Obama's roots!!!
A stylish, thorough, troubling, and revealing look at this man!
I hope many more Americans will see this film for the eye-opener that
it clearly is!!!
it clearly is!!!
Pros well paced, great story
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+2points
4of 6voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Think "Rioutous"!!!
PostedMay 6, 2012
CultureVulture
from Bethesda, MD
Age:45 to 54
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:weekly
Dialogue
5
/
5
Special Effects
4
/
5
Art Direction
4
/
5
Acting
5
/
5
Story
4
/
5
Camerawork
4
/
5
Based on the real life Steve Harvey clever book, "Act Like a Woman, Think Like a Man" , "Like a Man" hits a lot of funny bone as it speaks to the trials and tribulations of mens' and womens' attempts to gain advantage over each other. The Harvey book addresses womens' strategies of how to best deal with their guy and becomes a central theme of the pic. When the men realize that their women are using this book as a tool against them, they start turning the tables and , temporarily, gain an upper hand! When the ladies find out that the men have uncovered their secrets(oops!), the ladies' counterattack turns into even more merriment and mayhem, adding to the audience laughter that seems continuous throughout! This is, without doubt, one of the funniest pictures of the year!! The touching conclusion ads welcomed, good-nature appeal! Well cast, the plot moves seamlessly through crisp directing. Highly recommended for most adults with the caveat that there are some mild raw moments.
Pros well paced, great actors, very funny
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
A Modern-day Classic
PostedJanuary 1, 2012
Martin Scorsese's magnum opus, Hugo,
moves one by mixing the human touch with
machines and how those machines can come to life with the proper devotion and care.
With just the right touches, Scorsese
paints such a poignant portrait of a boy, some dreams, a bit of colorful cinematic history, visiting us in the latter moments of the film, that there is enough going on that should capture the imaginative emotions of most viewers!
Ben Kingsley (Georges Melies) and Hugo
Cabret (Asa Butterfield) head the near perfect cast as the storyline slowly but smoothly weaves this amazing blend of fiction and fact into a marvelously told story that families will enjoy for decades to come! A modern-day Classic!!
moves one by mixing the human touch with
machines and how those machines can come to life with the proper devotion and care.
With just the right touches, Scorsese
paints such a poignant portrait of a boy, some dreams, a bit of colorful cinematic history, visiting us in the latter moments of the film, that there is enough going on that should capture the imaginative emotions of most viewers!
Ben Kingsley (Georges Melies) and Hugo
Cabret (Asa Butterfield) head the near perfect cast as the storyline slowly but smoothly weaves this amazing blend of fiction and fact into a marvelously told story that families will enjoy for decades to come! A modern-day Classic!!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Terrific Family Outing!
PostedDecember 31, 2011
Beset by the loss of his wife and other family dilemmas, Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon), decides that a change of scenery
is the best remedy.
Boy, what a change!!
Based on a true story in the UK, this movie version is transformed to California, this tale takes us from a "civilized", urban locale to the literal "wilds" of a real-life, small, deteriorating, closed Zoo -- ready to be condemned.
As a skeleton, but dedicated staff greets him at the site, its Zookeeper, Kelly (Scarlett Johansson), warns him of the tough job ahead of getting the zoo prepared for a Federal inspection just a few weeks ahead.
Despite the momentous task before them,
all are determined to make the deadline.
Anchored by Damon and Johannson's down-to-earth performances, a perfectly cast ensemble of characters and enough humor and romantic turns, this film is able to overcome a somewhat weak, hokey script and turn it into a truly touching tale with a positive outcome for all!
Recommended for families!
is the best remedy.
Boy, what a change!!
Based on a true story in the UK, this movie version is transformed to California, this tale takes us from a "civilized", urban locale to the literal "wilds" of a real-life, small, deteriorating, closed Zoo -- ready to be condemned.
As a skeleton, but dedicated staff greets him at the site, its Zookeeper, Kelly (Scarlett Johansson), warns him of the tough job ahead of getting the zoo prepared for a Federal inspection just a few weeks ahead.
Despite the momentous task before them,
all are determined to make the deadline.
Anchored by Damon and Johannson's down-to-earth performances, a perfectly cast ensemble of characters and enough humor and romantic turns, this film is able to overcome a somewhat weak, hokey script and turn it into a truly touching tale with a positive outcome for all!
Recommended for families!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
The "Ides" of Politics
PostedOctober 23, 2011
Press Secretary(Ryan Gosling) for Presidential candidate(George Clooney), who also directed, gets a job offer from rival campaign manager (Paul Giamatti). Be it a genuine offer, or, a subtle act of sabotage!? Judge for yourself! The script (by Clooney, et al.... ), while seemingly superficial at times, touches on some salient political points as it meanders its way for an hour and forty minutes through the choppy, seedy, and cynical waters that such campaigns often do. Clooney's direction is even enough and the film gets lots of help from a stellar cast who make the best of the occasionally uneven script. If you don't mind the solid dose of politics offered here, "Ides" should please. Even if you do mind, there is still enough intrigue and entertainment value for most! (Fair warning, -- occasional foul language may pepper your ears!)
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.