Author: John Stark

Blogger. EIC of macthemovieguy.com. Contributor to mjsbigblog.com and houseofgeekery.com. Previously featured on starpulse.com.
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Box Office Predictions- May 10th-12th- Gatsby Aims For 2nd

John Stark

This weekend, Iron Man 3 faces some competition from Leonardo DiCaprio’s Great Gatsby. Gatsby isn’t typical summer fare, and targets the demo that made The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom sleeper hits last summer. The difference here is that Gatsby is going wide. No surprise, since it has a bonafide star in DiCaprio. My predictions below: 1) Iron Man 3- 77M, 305-315M total. Iron Man is virtually unstoppable. Normally, big films crumble though in their second week, simply because of heavy upfront business. The first Iron Man dropped a respectable 48%, Iron Man 2 dipped 59%. This one … Continue reading Box Office Predictions- May 10th-12th- Gatsby Aims For 2nd

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Movie Review: Iron Man 3

John Stark

STARRING: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Don Cheadle, Rebecca Hall, Ben Kingsley, Jon Faverau, James Badge Dale, William Sadler, Dale Dickey, Ty Simpkins, and Miguel Ferrer WRITTEN BY: Drew Pearce and Shane Black. DIRECTED BY: Shane Black First off. Mad props for a studio taking a risk on Shane Black, because he is a fantastic director. Sure, he wrote some shitty films, but he directed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which is a great film. It demands your attention. It’s possible that this entry is the best in the franchise, moreso because there is a great plot twist that … Continue reading Movie Review: Iron Man 3

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This Is 40

John Stark

STARRING: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Albert Brooks, Jason Segal, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow, Megan Fox, Robert Smigel, Charlyne Yi, Melissa McCarthy, Chris O’Dowd, John Lithgow, and Lena Dunham. WRITTEN BY: Judd Apatow DIRECTED BY: Judd Apatow Judd Apatow movies have their haters. I think people have gotten tired of his “brand” of films, much like people got bored with Adam Sandler after Big Daddy. Just like no one had a problem with Michael Bay when he directed The Rock and Bad Boys. But when Armageddon came around? Something happened. And now everyone hates Michael Bay, even though his movies are … Continue reading This Is 40

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Tears Of The Sun

John Stark

STARRING: Bruce Willis, Monica Bellucci, Cole Hauser, Johnny Messner, Tom Skerritt, Nick Chinlund, Eamonn Walker WRITTEN BY: Alex Lasker and Patrick Cirillo DIRECTED BY: Antoine Fuqua There are war movies that document the historic battles and remind us of the times in our past that have created the present we love and know. There are other war movies that are basically just action movies masquerading as war movies. This is one of those movies. Nothing historic, just a fake battle between our American soldiers and some rebel forces, and there are some people who need some saving. Oh, and, Bruce … Continue reading Tears Of The Sun

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Play It To The Bone

John Stark

STARRING: Antonio Banderas, Woody Harrelson, Lolita Davidovich, Tom Sizemore, Lucy Liu, Robert Wagner WRITTEN BY: Ron Shelton DIRECTED BY: Ron Shelton I can’t believe this movie is 14 years old. Woody Harrelson looks exactly the same in this film as he does now. It’s startling to see that he really hasn’t aged much since then. Antonio Banderas has put on a few years, but not much, certainly not 14. In Play It To The Bone, both men are pegged as boxers who are really too old to still be doing this, yet are still looking for a second chance. While … Continue reading Play It To The Bone

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For A Good Time, Call

John Stark

Cast: Lauren Miller, Ari Graynor, Justin Long, Mark Webber, James Wolk, Nia Vardalos, Seth Rogen, Kevin Smith Written By: Lauren Miller, Katie Naylon Directed By: Jamie Travis In case you were wondering if you missed a good comedy in 2012, you probably did. This gem didn’t get a wide release, so you had to live in a major market, or wait for DVD. That’s a shame, because it’s one of the smarter comedies to come out of last year. That is, if you don’t get offended easily with in your face sexual comments. This film is definitely very frank. Lauren … Continue reading For A Good Time, Call

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Stand Up Guys

John Stark

STAND UP GUYS Cast: Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin, Vanessa Ferlito, Julianna Margulies, Judy Punch, Courtney Galiano Written By: Noah Haidle Directed By: Fisher Stevens You likely missed this movie. That would be a mistake. Really, almost any time you have the opportunity to catch a film starring Pacino, Walken, and Arkin, you should catch it. Yes, this film has a few problems, but Pacino and Walken specifically make the most out of it.  The plot of the film centers around Val (Pacino), a man recently released from prison after 28 years, spends his first day out with his … Continue reading Stand Up Guys

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Won’t Back Down

John Stark

WON’T BACK DOWN Cast: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Oscar Issac, Holly Hunter, Rosie Perez, Ving Rhames, Emily Alyn Lind, Lance Reddick Written By: Brin Hill, Daniel Barnz Directed By: Daniel Barnz Surprisingly, this isn’t the first film by Daniel Barnz. He previously directed the little-seen Phoebe In Wonderland, and the floptastic Beastly. After the box office for Won’t Back Down, I doubt we’ll be seeing much of him as a feature director. The truth is, that despite the stellar cast, Won’t Back Down never feels like it’s anything more than a made-for-TV movie. It’s a Hallmark “Movie of the Week”. … Continue reading Won’t Back Down

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The Master

John Stark

The Master Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Jesse Plemons, Laura Dern, Rami Malek Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson Director: Paul Thomas Anderson For me, Paul Thomas Anderson can sometimes bounce around for me in terms of quality. I wasn’t a huge fan of There Will Be Blood, outside of the fantastic performances by Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano. I thought Punch Drunk Love was a mess. Magnolia had strengths and weaknesses, uneven throughout. Boogie Nights is probably his best effort, for me. The Master would be my second choice. At first, The Master starts off as a rather … Continue reading The Master

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Bully

John Stark

I remember watching The Cove and being transported from a world where you didn’t really care about the topic, to a world where you could stand up and fight for the cause. For me, Bully doesn’t hold the same fire and passion for its topic like The Cove, and wouldn’t motivate you to stand up and fight. Bully has a noble cause, definitely, tracking the story of a few youths who find themselves in terrible circumstances. Notably, is the story of Tyler, who is really the catalyst for this movement, as he committed suicide after he couldn’t take being bullied … Continue reading Bully