100+ Items Found For michael ray (showing top 100 results)

26.39764

26.39764

Down Beat (6/96, p.44) - 4 Stars - Very Good - "...Anastasio directs varying combinations of players in open, structured improvisations...Credit Anastasio for defying commercial expectations with this gutsy, freewheeling ensemble effort."Option (7-8/96, p.135) - "...Trey Anastasio is determined to push the proverbial envelope, even if he's not sure where it's going..."Musician (5/96, p.93) - "...[Anastasio] captured some profound stuff, bouncing off manic guitarist Marc Ribot and keyboardist John Medeski, while Sun Ra trumpeter Michael Ray and saxist Marshall Allen turned the trip into a free-jazz-for-all, with admirably fluctuating levels of adrenaline..."0.3334675

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"John Wayne dukes it out with Randolph Scott in the genre's most folkloric fight scene."USA Today20.10312

3 stars out of 5 -- "Caine is solid as the working-class gent with an agenda....As a caper with a great cast and clever premise, FLAWLESS works..."Empire19.9794

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4 stars out of 5 -- "In Haneke's hands we feel the same sense of hopelessness as the family....Haneke smashes down the fourth wall and makes it chillingly clear that we are playing by his rules and his rules alone."Uncut "It's been made with brutal fascination and skill....Haneke works in cleanly organized shots, with a nagging real-time pace reminiscent of Kubrick." -- Grade: B+Entertainment Weekly 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] horrifying, brilliantly assured experiment in human cruelty....Naomi Watts is exceptional as the suffering wife, as is Michael Pitt as Paul."Total Film 4 stars out of 5 -- "Key to its success is the fantastic Michael Pitt....Watt, especially gives her all..." Empire19.43488

19.08795

"[H]is dancing is uttery assured....[THIS IS IT is] edited like a real concert film, and the sound is almost too good to believe."Los Angeles Times 3 stars out of 4 -- "Jackson shows signs of the physical and vocal fluidity and sheer charisma that he retaied....Jackson's creative team and crew emerge as engaging personalities in rehearsal and interview segments that are surprisingly funny or moving."USA Today 5 stars out of 5 -- "Here, we see the master close to the top of his game....The tour Jackson called his 'final curtain call' might be his last bow, but his inspiration lives on."Box Office "The rehearsals draw heavily from Mr. Jackson's older hits, notably from the 1982 album THRILLER, beginning with 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'' and moving through 'Human Nature,' 'Thriller,' 'Beat It' and 'Billie Jean.'"New York Times "[Jackson] lives vividly in THIS IS IT, a spectacular record of rehearsals for a show that wasn't to be."Wall Street Journal "[S]till capable of generating chills, the focus is more powerfully on the dancing, with Jackson moving his dancers through marks, tweaking their steps and coming up with on-the-spot cues."Movieline "[The film] captures one of pop culture's great entertainers in the feverish grips of pure creativity. The screen is filled with performers, musicians, choreographers, crew members and craftsmen, but the movie's laserlike focus is on Michael Jackson."Hollywood Reporter "[H]is intense perfectionism is breathtaking to see here....THIS IS IT is a classy film that only affirms the man's talent."Variety 4 stars out of 4 -- "[The film] benefits from the limited number of cameras by allowing us to experience his work in something closer to realistic time....[It] provides both a good idea of what the final concert would have looked like, and a portrait of the artist at work."Chicago Sun-Times THIS IS IT offers a raw and endearing sketch of a genius at work. -- Grade: BEntertainment Weekly18.96997

18.59404

"[A] shockingly and sometimes discomfortingly funny comedy....[Rogen gives] a nervy lead performance that's in perfect sync with the pic itself."Variety [A] risky, riotous, moody-blue comedy written and directed by Jody Hill....The cast, led by Rogen, chomps into all this anarchy as if liberated from the Hollywood salt mines, with a commitment to the material worthy of a tribute from James Lipton. -- Grade: A-Entertainment Weekly Its biggest asset is the way it sidesteps predictability and focuses its tale on unlikely and unhinged characters.USA Today Ms. Faris is as game as they come. Mr. Rogen, whos often cast as a likable schlump, gives an edgy, brave performance...Wall Street Journal "[T]he film breaks all the rules....Not since Paul Thomas Anderson's PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE has a studio comedy so willfully punctuated fantasy with shocking violence."A.V. Club 3 stars out of 4 -- "If you are a fan of dark and quirky comedy, then you will be in heaven with this film....The random and unpredictable nature makes it an extremely interesting film to watch."Premiere 3 stars out of 5 -- "Funny as hell, that's how demonic it is. Imagine Scorsese directing POLICE ACADEMY..."Rolling Stone 3 stars out of 5 -- "It's Rogen's THE CABLE GUY, and a possible future cult classic."Total Film18.00125

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BOOK REVIEWS COMING SOON!!!!17.77548

"[A] shockingly and sometimes discomfortingly funny comedy....[Rogen gives] a nervy lead performance that's in perfect sync with the pic itself."Variety [A] risky, riotous, moody-blue comedy written and directed by Jody Hill....The cast, led by Rogen, chomps into all this anarchy as if liberated from the Hollywood salt mines, with a commitment to the material worthy of a tribute from James Lipton. -- Grade: A-Entertainment Weekly Its biggest asset is the way it sidesteps predictability and focuses its tale on unlikely and unhinged characters.USA Today Ms. Faris is as game as they come. Mr. Rogen, whos often cast as a likable schlump, gives an edgy, brave performance...Wall Street Journal "[T]he film breaks all the rules....Not since Paul Thomas Anderson's PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE has a studio comedy so willfully punctuated fantasy with shocking violence."A.V. Club 3 stars out of 4 -- "If you are a fan of dark and quirky comedy, then you will be in heaven with this film....The random and unpredictable nature makes it an extremely interesting film to watch."Premiere 3 stars out of 5 -- "Funny as hell, that's how demonic it is. Imagine Scorsese directing POLICE ACADEMY..."Rolling Stone 3 stars out of 5 -- "It's Rogen's THE CABLE GUY, and a possible future cult classic."Total Film17.33149

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"...The most entertaining inside-journalism movie since ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN..."Premiere "...As an inside look into the hothouse of journalism, it's dynamite..." Rolling Stone "...A contemporary cautionary tale....Christensen's Glass is unnervingly persuasive..." Los Angeles Times "...The movie is a serious, well-observed examination of the practice of journalism....SHATTERED GLASS is good enough to be true..." New York Times "...Engrossing..." USA Today "...More than being a smart and accurate look at magazine journalism -- no small matter -- SHATTERED GLASS is also a compelling portrait of a psychosis at work..." Los Angeles Times "...Right from the start, Hayden Christensen is a revelation..." Entertainment Weekly "SHATTERED GLASS deserves comparison with ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN among movies about journalism."Chicago Sun-Times "[The] film, based on a true story, juxtaposes two fine performances..." Uncut "The film is based, solidly and persuasively, on fact....Billy Ray directed this terrific debut feature..."Wall Street Journal16.28544

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"...Gripping and packed with director Michael Mann's visual stylistics..."Total Film "...[Noonan] burns up the frame...[as] one of the freakiest madmen Hollywood has ever given us....You'll never listen to IN-A-GADDA-DA-VIDA without locking the doors again..." -- Rating: B+Entertainment Weekly "...Brian Cox has some delicious moments as a brilliant, depraved criminal....Stephen Lang is outrageously despicable..."Variety "...[Mann] mounts his film with the speed of a bullet train and virtually defies us to get off while it's in motion..."Los Angeles Times16.08567

"...Gobs of talent are amassed..." Premiere "...This spellbinder vibrates with style, substance and humor, plus voluptuous camera work..." Rolling Stone "...[HEAT] serves to bolster the case for Michael Mann as the key American auteur of the last ten years..." Sight and Sound "...A film that deserves Oscars for photography, editing, sound and arguably scoring....Heat is packed with unforgettable subcharacters..." -- 4 out of 4 stars USA Today "...[Mann's] .357 Magnum opus....Macho-intellectual chutzpah..." Entertainment Weekly "...Stunningly made and incisively acted by a large and terrific cast....[HEAT] stands apart from other films of its type by virtue of its extraordinary rich characterizations..." Variety "...A sleek, accomplished piece of work, meticulously controlled and completely involving. The dark end of the street doesn't get much more inviting than this..." Los Angeles Times "...There is absolute precision of effect here, the feeling of roles assumed instinctively..." Chicago Sun-Times "[With] stunning cinematography, capturing an off-kilter LA, all metallic grey and widescreen sheen." Total Film16.08402

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"...Enjoyable..." Box Office "...Move over, DEEP IMPACT -- here comes something meteor..." Premiere16.02175

"[A] new yet insistently old-fashioned spin on the kid-lit classic MY FRIEND FLICKA....Bighearted and beautifully shot..."Entertainment Weekly "[The film is] set on a horse ranch in a spectacularly pristine, mountainous swath of Wyoming..."New York Times16.01539

"[A] fabulously upsetting, doesn't-leave-your-head thriller....The picture moves with stealth, enjoying its own thriller-ness as hints are laid and mislaid." -- Grade: A Entertainment Weekly "[U]nsettling and tense, even shocking. And its story of enduring tensions between an Algerian immigrant and a well-off French family is particularly timely."USA Today "[T]aut, terse, brisk and immediately engaging....This is provocative filmmaking at its finest, boasting portrayals that are impeccable because they are so completely natural."Los Angeles Times "[A] tense, politically tinged psychological thriller about vengeance and injustice." New York Times "[T]his beautifully controlled, gripping film benefits from the pitch-perfect performances of Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche." Movieline's Hollywood Life "Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche are masterful....It's brilliantly tense, original and hypnotic." Uncut "HIDDEN is really the latest of Haneke's portraits of the bourgeois European family and its discontents....Haneke's most rigorous yet." Sight and Sound 5 stars out of 5 -- "HIDDEN's story is tight, its characters compulsive....[Haneke] has a point, and it's chilling and beautifully made." Total Film 4 stars out of 4 -- "It's a moral and political allegory wrapped in the husk of a suspense thriller, and Haneke makes their nightmares ours by hiding a few puzzle pieces." Premiere 5 stars out of 5 -- "[A] masterpiece....[With an] intentionally cryptic narrative. It's not called HIDDEN for nothing."Empire16.01538

"[A] tensely funny and alive Los Angeles night-world thriller....Cruise and Foxx are so good together because they allow the two characters to get under each other's skin." Entertainment Weekly "[A] feast for the eyes....[Mann] really uses the electronic sheen that comes with the format." Premiere "Mann hits a new peak, orchestrating action, atmosphere and bruising humor with a poet's eye for urban darkness." Rolling Stone "[T]he wrap-up is staged with craft and confidence..."USA Today "COLLATERAL has the texture and gravity of an old-school classic." Uncut "[With] complex, intriguing characters..."Chicago Sun-Times "Mann's crisp, pulp thriller sees TC as a bad cat in after-hours LA..." Total Film "[An] elegantly crafted and genuinely thrilling thriller....The crackling-smart script was written by Stuart Beattie..."Wall Street Journal16.00902

15.97718

"...Easy charm....An enjoyable paperback of a film..." New York Times "...FLETCH is smart, dead-pan dry and funny..."Los Angeles Times "Enjoyable..." Total Film 4 stars out of 4 -- "One of the most quotable comedies ever made where Chase is at the top of his game."Premiere15.97718

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3 stars out of 5 -- "[E]njoyable and lively viewing, and a fitting tribute to a lost girl."Empire15.97718

"...Michael Winner directs with customary tongue-in-cheek panache....The musical score by Jimmy Page is pleasing..."Variety15.57864

"...An extremely entertaining suspense drama....[The] entire cast, down through minor supporting roles, contributes to the impact..."Variety "...[COMA] combines dry humour and documentary realism....A pleasingly old-fashioned movie..."Sight and Sound15.54041

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"[M]ixing pop savvy with startling formal ambition....A dazzling Wagnerian spectacle....[Mann] fuses music, pulsating color and high drama....Frequently sublime." New York Times 3.5 stars out of 4 -- "If you're looking for a crime story that sizzles with action, sex and the visceral jolt of life on the edge, MIAMI VICE is the one." Rolling Stone "Mann seizes the audience, all right....He stages a spectacular showdown..." -- Grade: B Entertainment Weekly 3 stars out of 5 -- "There's a classy but urgent verve to the scenes with Farrell and Foxx....Foxx is the cooler, more focused partner, while Farrell plays Crockett like a coiled spring..." Total Film 4 stars out of 5 -- "MIAMI VICE is pure Michael Mann and a dark exploration of the war against drug dealers....The action is knock-out from start to finish."Ultimate DVD 4 stars out of 4 -- "The cast are big enough for Mann's ambitions. Foxx commands attention with his stillness and intelligence, while Farrell's aura of sleaze fits Crockett better than any of Don Johnson's unstructured suits."Uncut "[The film] thrills for at least two thirds of its running time and establishes a look and a mood that's incomparable in modern US cinema."Sight and Sound "Michael Mann's feature-film update of his 1980s TV series turns out to be terrifically entertaining..."Wall Street Journal15.43514

3.5 stars out of 4 -- "Depp and the vibrantly touching Cotillard give the relationship a potent intimacy....It's movie dynamite."Rolling Stone 3 stars out of 4 -- "Director Michael Mann mounts a technically proficient, visually enthralling crime drama anchored by the low-key but captivating performance of Johnny Depp..."USA Today "[A]n impressive film of great formal skill, one that inescapably has a brooding dark-night-of-the-soul quality about it....The beauty and skill of the filmmaking keep you tightly in its grasp."Los Angeles Times 3.5 stars out of 4 -- "This Johnny Depp performance is something else....This is a very good film, with Depp and Bale performances of brutal clarity."Chicago Sun-Times "Michael Mann's PUBLIC ENEMIES is a grave and beautiful work of art....It revisits with meticulous detail and convulsions of violence a short, frantic period in the life and bank-robbing times of John Dillinger..."New York Times "[M]arvelously detailed and meticulously crafted, an elegant evocation of Depression-era America and its fascination with crime."Wall Street Journal 3 stars out of 4 -- "Johnny Depp continues to make great choices and plays Dillinger as both charming and sinister."Premiere 4 stars out of 5 -- "[O]rdinary scenes become electrifying experiences as Mann takes an old story and makes it feel new and unexpected....Packed with fresh tension and atmosphere..."Total Film 4 stars out of 5 -- "[Mann] has a strong eye for forensic detail that ramps up the vividness of the film."Uncut15.43514

"[T]ense, provocative and unnerving....[The film] could be considered a culmination of this difficult director's brilliant career."Los Angeles Times "Shot in vivid black and white, the movie is like VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED directed by Ingmar Bergman..." -- Grade: B-Entertainment Weekly "[Haneke] uses the sharp elegance of Christian Berger's monochrome cinematography, the grammatical precision of old-fashioned speech and the pageantry of period drama to lull and also to inflame the audience's expectations."New York Times "Shot with dry discipline in striking black and white, the deliberately paced, consistently unnerving film invites viewers into every corner of its town..." -- Grade: AA.V. Club "THE WHITE ROOM is an artful examination of a small town and small-mindedness and the potential for full-blown, large-scale evil."USA Today "[S]evere and eerily beautiful....Mr. Haneke's film is accessible, though its pace is deliberate and its affect muted."Wall Street Journal 3.5 stars out of 4 -- "Shot in stunning black-and-white by the gifted Christian Berger, THE WHITE RIBBON is a toxic blossom of images that burn into your memory..."Rolling Stone "Everything about the film's masterfully executed aesthetic suggests harmony, order, the absence of extremes, exquisite deliberation...director Michael Haneke teases dread and uncertainty from classical form."Movieline 4 stars out of 4 -- "The film is visually masterful....THE WHITE RIBBON tells a simple story in a village about little people and suggests that we must find a balance between fear and security."Chicago Sun-Times 4 stars out of 5 -- "Its lack of resolution is one reason the movie lingers, along with its stunning cinematography and unsettling performances, particularly from the children at the movie's heart."Uncut15.42616

"[T]he movie strides ahead with a good sense of rhythm, rocking backward just when relief is needed..."Entertainment Weekly "This is the story of a woman waiting, and dealing with the officers of two or three bureaucracies....Jolie's intelligence radiates Mariane's..."Film Comment "[A] film that handles its harrowing subject matter with honesty and acute political insight."Sight and Sound 3.5 stars out of 4 -- "A MIGHTY HEART deserves a place alongside the best films that seek to re-create a shattering time in our recent history."USA Today 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he film is given a raw and riveting docudrama treatment by the superb British director Michael Winterbottom."Rolling Stone 3 stars out of 5 -- "[S]ober and often gripping....[With] ambient cinematography and low-key ensemble-playing."Uncut 5 stars out of 5 -- "This is one of the most powerful stories about loss you're ever likely to see."Ultimate DVD "A MIGHTY HEART is wrenching, but it's the buzzing undercurrent of anger that makes it most true to its source."New York Times 4 stars out of 5 -- "[Winterbottom] has fashioned a grim, taut docudrama with the urgency, verisimilitude and forensic eye for detail that have become his stocks in trade."Total Film15.40706

"...[Mann's] .357 Magnum opus....Macho-intellectual chutzpah..." Entertainment Weekly "...Gobs of talent are amassed..."Premiere "...Stunningly made and incisively acted by a large and terrific cast....[HEAT] stands apart from other films of its type by virtue of its extraordinary rich characterizations..."Variety "...There is absolute precision of effect here, the feeling of roles assumed instinctively..."Chicago Sun-Times "...This spellbinder vibrates with style, substance and humor, plus voluptuous camera work..."Rolling Stone "...[HEAT] serves to bolster the case for Michael Mann as the key American auteur of the last ten years..."Sight and Sound "...A film that deserves Oscars for photography, editing, sound and arguably scoring....Heat is packed with unforgettable subcharacters..." -- 4 out of 4 stars USA Today "...A sleek, accomplished piece of work, meticulously controlled and completely involving. The dark end of the street doesn't get much more inviting than this..."Los Angeles Times "[With] stunning cinematography, capturing an off-kilter LA, all metallic grey and widescreen sheen."Total Film15.38878

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"...Laugh licks and spirited performances..."Rolling Stone "...An enjoyable, sweet-natured farce....The characters are funny and likeable..."Sight and Sound "...AIRHEADS is spiked with in-jokes and appealing performances....There's a perfect out-there moment that will strike a feedback-warped chord with diehard heavy-metal fans..."USA Today15.37359

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"...High-octane action and rowdy fun....Dazzling teamwork from Cage and Connery..." Rolling Stone "...[The] blistering pace boasts an A-list acting trio in roles precisely tailored to their personas..." USA Today "...The movie slams forward in a jackhammer frenzy. The camera never stops moving..." Entertainment Weekly "...Entertaining, a high-octane, kick-butt actioner....Connery trades winningly on his sophisticated, elegant sense of cool..."Variety "...THE ROCK is a first-rate, slam-bang action thriller with a lot of style....Each element has been lovingly polished to a gloss. And there are three skillful performances..." Chicago Sun-Times 4 stars out of 5 -- "The pictures are sumptuous, with the San Francisco skyline offering an eye-pleasing backdrop..."Ultimate DVD15.35199

"...Brooks is at the top of his game....[Ritchie's] slyest satirical touch..." -- Rating: B+Entertainment Weekly15.34562

"...ORIGINAL SIN remains compulsively watchable thanks to leads Antonio Banderas [and Angelina Jolie]....The pic is gorgeous..."Variety "...[Jolie] turns on the heat....[Banderas] looks interested, very interested..."Rolling Stone "...There are surprises on top of surprises....Jolie continues to stalk through pictures entirely on her own terms..."Chicago Sun-Times "...[The film] looks beautiful....[Shot] on locations that are lush but elegant..."Sight and Sound15.33925