Shock value sells. It always does. Dane Cook was right when he talked about even simple car crashes in an old stand-up routine. We can't take our eyes off of something like that. We are even drawn to it in some way. For those ways and reasons, the new Jackass 3D is irresistible. Those that are drawn to it will be endlessly entertained. Those that are appalled by it still won't be able to look away, even if they want to, because of its "how did they do that?" factor.
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Real-life parents will likely watch this movie and talk about how easy the movie characters have it with their big house and endless amenities and income streams, despite the supposed appearance of stress and hardship. They're not going to find it believable. Sure, Life As We Know It has it's laughs, moments, and sincere touches. Duhamel is perfectly cast to play the evolving "himbo" jock and Heigl is always easy on the eyes, but everything is completely scripted and mostly predictable.
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Finally, in what may be the biggest surprise of all, they all came together to make a movie about Facebook that didn't really talk about Facebook itself. Sure, we found out how it came to be and how it grew huge and popular, but the movie is about the people not the empire. The Social Network doesn't become a lecture on society's social networking behavior. In the movie, Facebook itself might as well be the "One Ring," the "MacGuffin," and "Rosebud." It's always present, but purely as a means to talk about and move the human side of the story. For that alone, The Social Network is quite an accomplishment and one of the best of the year.
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Easy A brings that teen movie tradition proudly to a new generation. You begin to imagine what your high school self would be like in this digital age of Facebooking and Tweeting.
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The Town achieves to be as dangerous, interesting, and dramatic as the two movies it's being hyped by its studio to be compared to: Heat and The Departed. While it's not as epic and well-acted as Heat and nowhere near as visceral as The Departed, The Town can hold it's own in the crime thriller department.
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