Author: Alexis Gentry
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All hail Sacha Baron Cohen in ‘The Dictator’
Sacha Baron Cohen can wholly become a character like few other actors working today. As we saw in Borat and Brüno, he seemingly transforms beyond recognition into whatever heavily accented, exaggeratedly foreign, brazenly funny character he is embodying. While The Dictator is more of a traditional, narrative film that his two previous mockumentaries, Cohen still…
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What does ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ say about women?
We don’t publish enough book reviews here on Trashwire—possibly because we don’t read enough books—but E L James’ Fifty Shades of Grey is such a ginormous success that it warrants a bit of commentary. Let me start off by saying that I’m no English Lit major and I’m not a big time reader, but I…
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Burton’s ‘Dark Shadows’ disappoints
Back in the 1990s, Hollywood started taking old TV shows and making them into movies, set in present day, and making fun of just how outdated they seemed by today’s standards. The Brady Bunch Movie, The Adams Family and even Pleasantville showed us that the characters of old would have a tough time fitting in…
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‘The Avengers’ gives fans the most bang for their buck
What do you get when you combine Hollywood’s most profitable superheroes in one film? You get action, effects, humor and fun. In other words, you get The Avengers. In case you’ve been living under a rock, or movies based on comic books are so not your thing, The Avengers are a team of heroes from…
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‘The Hunger Games’ a spectacular adaptation
Let’s face it, Hollywood rarely succeeds in making a book-to-screen adaptation that lives up to the original. Even True Blood, one of my favorite shows, takes quite a few creative liberties with Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels. After reading (and totally loving) Suzanne Collins’ best-selling The Hunger Games, I was keeping my fingers crossed that…
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‘Casa de Mi Padre’ channels ‘Three Amigos’
When I was a kid, I loved ¡Three Amigos!, starring Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short. It was one of those great, cheap ‘80s movies that didn’t need effects or complex characters because the guys starring in it were hilarious. The Will Ferrell comedy Casa de Mi Padre is a lot like that, but…
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Played-out plot sinks ‘Friends With Kids’
When a movie touts the fact that it features “the cast of Bridesmaids”, it’s fair to assume it will be funny. Unfortunately Friends With Kids has a played-out and predictable storyline that keeps it from ever living up to the talents of its stars.
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‘Wanderlust’ boasts cadre of comedy greats
Have you ever wanted to quit your job and move out of your place to go live in a hippie commune where you can run around naked and trip balls on hallucinogenic tea? If you said yes, you’re a lot like George and Linda (Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston) in the new comedy Wanderlust, directed…
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Lucas challenges Hollywood with ‘Red Tails’
Red Tails, written by John Ridley and Aaron McGruder and directed by Anthony Hemingway, is based on the true story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the legendary African-American pilots of World War II. The film was first developed over two decades ago by George Lucas, but faced many challenges because studios believed a movie with an…
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Top 20 Liz Lemon moments
Fact: Tina Fey is one of the funniest people ever, therefore 30 Rock is one of the funniest TV shows ever. I quote the show almost constantly and know most episodes by heart, so it was nearly impossible for me to come up with my favorite Liz Lemon moments. This list originally began as a…
