Archive for christian bale

Movie Review: Exodus: Gods and Kings

Posted in Reviews! with tags , , , , , , on 12/12/2014 by Taylor Holt

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Stars: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Paul, María Valverde, John Turturro, Ben Kingsley

Rated PG-13 for violence including battle sequences and intense images, 150 minutes, Adventure/Drama

Compare to: Gladiator (2000), Noah (2014)

When Ridley Scott does a film, it’s pretty much unavoidable that it’s going to be compared to one of the greatest sword-and-sandal films of all time, Gladiator. And while most films have fallen short of that arena, Exodus does what it can to give us some memorable moments by way of some performances and mostly by some amazing special effects properly set in place.

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Movie Review: American Hustle

Posted in Reviews! with tags , , , , on 12/20/2013 by Taylor Holt

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Stars: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Michael Peña

Rated R for pervasive language, some sexual content and brief violence, Running time 138 minutes, Crime/Drama

Compare to: Carlito’s Way (1993), Jackie Brown (1997)

It’s always funny to see films set in the 1970s. Whether you grew up in the time period or not, all the clothes, the curls, the lingo; it immediately sets the tone to comedic whether it’s intentional or not.

Thankfully, director David O. Russell (The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook) knows what he’s doing and plays with the tone to his, and our, advantage. Continue reading →

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Movie Review: Out of the Furnace

Posted in Reviews! with tags , , on 12/06/2013 by Taylor Holt

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Stars: Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Zoe Saldana, Forrest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe, Sam Shepard

Rated R for strong violence, language and drug content, Running time 116 minutes, Drama/Crime/Thriller

Compare to: Brothers (2009), The Fighter (2011)

When watching a movie like Out of the Furnace, it’s best to understand that it isn’t the kind of movie that the kind of drama these types of movies normally come with is thankfully absent.

That way, you’ll not only appreciate the movie better but also be prepared for the storm of depression that may head your way from seeing what the characters go through. Continue reading →

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Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises

Posted in Reviews!, The Dark Knight Rises Stuff with tags , , , , , on 07/20/2012 by Taylor Holt

Stars: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action/violence, some sensuality and language, 164 minutes, Action/Adventure

Compare to: Heat (1996), Inception (2010)

After four years of wondering how could they make a sequel to 2008’s The Dark Knight and make anywhere near as good, The Dark Knight Rises is finally here and we can finally know. Many critics have criticized the nearly three hour run time, the supposed slow start to a decent finish that isn’t bad but something of a disappointment.

They claim that this is what happens after a director has so many films; he becomes full of himself and creates a long, slow, pretentious letdown. None of those things are true. I’m going to skip even a brief overview of the story so feel free to read with no spoilers. Continue reading →

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