The Unwatchables: The Beaver

November 22, 2016 Dan Seeger

There was a time when I was absolutely convinced that Jodie Foster was the future of U.S. cinema. In 1991, she starred in The Silence of the Lambs, giving a riveting performance as Clarice Starling that justly earned her an Academy Award, her second Best Actress win in the span of three years. That same year, she delivered her directorial debut in Little Man Tate, an imperfect but insightful drama about precocious talent that benefited from the sense Foster was drawing on her own experience as a child actor who could somehow slip comfortably between a loopy Disney comedy and … Continue reading The Unwatchables: The Beaver

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The Unwatchables: After Earth

December 8, 2014May 2, 2018 Dan Seeger

It’s a testament to the toxic narcissistic nepotism of the Smith clan that I completely forgot After Earth is a directorial effort by the favorite whipping boy of modern cinema, M. Night Shyamalan. Under other circumstances, I might have immediately … Continue reading The Unwatchables: After Earth

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The Unwatchables: Cowboys & Aliens

October 4, 2012November 27, 2018 Dan Seeger

I’m now mortified that I once defended Jon Favreau’s credibility as a director. More precisely, when Marvel Studios was dithering over whether or not they’d invite him back for the inevitable sequel after he presided over the surprising success of … Continue reading The Unwatchables: Cowboys & Aliens

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The Unwatchables: Sucker Punch

March 5, 2012April 29, 2024 Dan Seeger

Before Sucker Punch, writer-director Zack Snyder was always tethered, at least somewhat, to someone else’s vision. This isn’t uncommon in modern Hollywood, where children’s games are the unlikely fodder for wannabe blockbusters, nor is it necessarily problematic. So I don’t … Continue reading The Unwatchables: Sucker Punch

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The Unwatchables: Due Date

September 20, 2011April 30, 2019 Dan Seeger

The worst thing to emerge from the success of the 2009 movie The Hangover is the misconception that Todd Phillips makes good movies. Before that, the matter seemed to be fully settled, the opposite conclusion largely agreed upon across the … Continue reading The Unwatchables: Due Date

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The Unwatchables: Alice in Wonderland

March 8, 2011March 29, 2019 Dan Seeger

No director is in more dire need of a change of pace than Tim Burton. He needs some little story with two, maybe three characters just sitting around a simple, largely unadorned room. They should talk to one another, quiet little chats about their place in the world. There should be no music score and no special effects. Maybe then, just maybe, he’d be able to find his way back to making a movie with an ounce of humanity in it again. Until then, it’s safe to presume that he’ll follow his worrisome trend of grabbing onto well-established properties and … Continue reading The Unwatchables: Alice in Wonderland

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The Unwatchables: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

May 19, 2010April 20, 2018 Dan Seeger

My intention was to have a fresh Bad Movie Night post to share this week. To commemorate the end of the semester at my workplace–or, more significantly, the beginning of a summer stretch that is far less stressful–we decided to … Continue reading The Unwatchables: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

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Tag: unwatchables