Entertainment Reviews from Stars and Popcorn

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Posted by Patrick Sessoms on May 16, 2013

Star Trek Into Darkness

Phasers set to AWESOME… I’m sorry for that. While the first Star Trek was fueled by sentimentality and nostalgia, along with a dash of spectacle, the long-awaited follow-up Star Trek Into Darkness seems to be superior in every way. The film reunites all the characters you know and love from the previous film, only this time around, it feels more like it follows the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise...

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Posted by Patrick Sessoms on May 14, 2013

Hulk Vs.

DVD SMASH! While Marvel seems to be dominating the theaters lately with a number of incredibly successful films, DC Comics seems to have carved out a niche by releasing several exceptionally well-done animated films straight to DVD. Marvel has generally been trying to play catch-up on this front, but every once in a while they release a good one, and Hulk Vs. is an adequate example of that. The movie is...

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Posted by Patrick Sessoms on May 10, 2013

The Great Gatsby

Sorry to let you down, Old Sport. Now, just for the sake of full transparency, I’ve never read The Great Gatsby, and that probably makes me a bad person. I did, however, get to see the movie, and I’m pretty sure I would have enjoyed the book more. Director Baz Luhrmann (who gained fame with the film Moulin Rouge!) brings his signature opulent style to this adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s American...

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Posted by Patrick Sessoms on May 7, 2013

Superman vs. The Elite

Just because you have the biggest stick, doesn’t give you the right to hit people with it. For a long time, people have referred to Superman as a boy scout. He’s a character that is inherently good and despite the awesome power that he wields he remains a benevolent force in the world, choosing a path to benefit all of mankind instead of oppressing them. While his motivations and reasoning has long...

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Posted by Chris Jalil on May 4, 2013

Iron Man 3

More bitter than sweet. Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne grins at the audience, at Alfred (Michael Caine), a cowl nowhere to be seen. He’s done. There was a lot of talk about whether the Iron Man series, whether Tony Stark, would follow suit or continue after the third installment. “Of course it will! Marvel wouldn’t just end Iron Man!” Except they just might. I went into this movie excepting...

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Posted by Matthew on May 3, 2013

The Place Beyond the Pines

If someone were to refer to a place or town as “the place beyond the pines,” they would usually mean one of two things. This place could be widely known, popular and exciting, or on the other hand, it could be a boring, uninhabited and isolated secret. If had to compare the movie The Place Beyond the Pines to that scenario, sadly, it would be the latter. The Place Beyond the Pines is directed...

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Posted by Patrick Sessoms on Apr 26, 2013

Pain & Gain

I might just believe in fitness, too, after this. Michael Bay has a very unique reputation as a filmmaker (and at times I feel like I use that term loosely), which is why I was so shocked by Pain & Gain. Sure, there’s a certain Michael Bay flair to it, but it is literally one of the craziest movies I’ve seen in years, and I actually really enjoyed it. To be fair though, the vast majority of the...

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Posted by James M. on Apr 26, 2013

Mud

We’re for a time adrift in the backwoods and bayous, hunting for the narratives of an overlooked America. Our reality television-tempered desires manifest this present fascination in the phantasmagoria of Swamp People, Mudcats, Duck Dynasty, and that one gator show. Numb to the last couple decades’ procession of down-and-out urbanites, indie filmmakers are scraping grit in other climes as well. Beasts...

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