A touching indie comedic yarn woven through with teen angst, the ennui of adulthood, and what it means to be a family, “Win Win” lives up to its namesake as a multi-faceted gem and the antithesis to the year’s big-budget comedy offerings. Disheartened attorney Mike Flaherty (Giamatti), who moonlights as a high school wrestling coach, […]
Dagger Movie Night: “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules”
Deviating little from the previous incarnation of Jeff Kinney’s popular book series, this year’s entry plays out like a cross between a sitcom from the defunct TGIF lineup and a Farrelly brothers comedy for tweens. Heading back to middle school for the seventh grade, Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon) and his brother Rodrick (Devon Bostick) find […]
Dagger Movie Night: “Limitless”
With the first sleeper hit of the first quarter of 2011, Bradley Cooper pulls off a dramatic action role as a man discovering the limits of the capable human intellect, a turn sure to help the actor’s burgeoning career. Originally a vehicle meant for Shia LaBeouf, who had to bow out after his motorcycle crash […]
Dagger Movie Night: “The Adjustment Bureau”
Sometime in the last year, Matt Damon developed a love for faux-philosophical films with religious overtones. Obviously he has forgotten the words of his friend, Ben Affleck: “What’ve I been telling you? You gotta do the safe picture. Then you can do the art picture. And sometimes, you have to go back to the well.” […]
Movie Review: “Hall Pass”
By Mark Special to The Dagger In the same year that comedic favorite “The Hangover” gets a sequel, “Hall Pass” just might give a strong opponent for best comedy of 2011. “Hall Pass” is crude and raunchy while maintain a heart of gold, but quite simply, it is hilarious. Rick and Fred (Owen Wilson and […]
Movie Review: “The Mechanic”
By Mark Special to The Dagger The latest Jason Statham project finds him playing the type of intense action role that has made him famous, this time in a remake of a Charles Bronson vehicle from 1972. Elite hitman Arthur Bishop (Statham) is given the task of eliminating his mentor, Harry McKenna (Donald Sutherland), at […]
Movie Review: “The Fighter”
By Mark Special to The Dagger In the same week that Sylvester Stallone finds himself immortalized in the boxing hall of fame for his portrayal in a film depicting the most brutal sport, we are treated to the return of the Great Sports Movie riding the coat tails of “The Wrestler” and the “Rocky” franchise. […]
Movie Review: “It’s Kind of a Funny Story”
By Mark Special to The Dagger In the wake of Rutgers student Tyler Clementi’s suicide, the media has focused on the growing problem of childhood depression. Much of the discussion has keyed on reducing bullying, but at a subtler level the debate has touched on the more taboo subject of emotional and mental health. At […]