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Aly Caviness
Tomatometer-approved critic
Aly Caviness is a co-founder of Midwest Film Journal and member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. She blames Jack Sparrow for her MA in colonial Atlantic history, Guy Pearce for her marriage, and Star Wars for her son.
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Deep Water (2022) |
Despite a strong cast, Deep Water never quite comes together. Its a recipe with all the right ingredients but an entirely misguided execution. Hardly more than a pale shade of erotic thrillers past, Deep Water is nothing but an empty glass. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Mar 17, 2022
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Marry Me (2022) |
As confident as it is competent, Marry Me delivers exactly what you expect nothing more, nothing less. And thats a compliment, by the way. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Feb 10, 2022
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The Piano (1993) |
The Piano is without a doubt a work of Art - inscrutable at times, and not without its flaws, but constructed so confidently that they are, in the end, forgivable. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Jan 30, 2022
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Casino Royale (2006) |
Bond the man and Bond the franchise simply never recovered from allowing Vesper Lynd to die. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 24, 2021
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The Card Counter (2020) |
The Card Counter works best as a showcase for Isaac, with material from Schrader tailor-made to elicit one of the year's greatest performances. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 23, 2021
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Nightmare Alley (2021) |
Already brought brilliantly to the screen once in 1947, Nightmare Alley could only have been resurrected successfully in 2021 by a visionary such as Guillermo del Toro. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 15, 2021
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House of Gucci (2021) |
Lady Gaga swings as hard as she can, but it's not her fault House of Gucci is a miss. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Nov 25, 2021
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The Last Duel (2021) |
The Last Duel is such a rich film, as visually sumptuous as it is intellectually formidable. It's a rewarding watch but not an easy one. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Oct 15, 2021
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Spencer (2021) |
[Kristen Stewart] embodies Diana with a composed ferocity that is uniquely Stewart's but feels right for a woman in Diana's situation. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Oct 10, 2021
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The Green Knight (2021) |
Beautiful in spite of the subtle rot woven throughout, Lowery's England is a quiet nightmare as often as it is a wondrous dream. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Jul 31, 2021
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Cruella (2021) |
Disney doesn't usually do sympathy for the devil (or De Vil, as it were), but somehow, it works. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted May 26, 2021
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Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) |
Must a movie be good? Can it not rest its success on the luxurious power of Pedro Pascal's hair alone? - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 24, 2020
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Mank (2020) |
David Fincher and Classic Hollywood: two great tastes that do not taste great together. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 03, 2020
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Rebecca (2020) |
"Rebecca" is a perfect adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's novel until it suddenly isn't. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Oct 20, 2020
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Mulan (2020) |
Mulan is the first Disney live action remake that finds a successful balance between comfortingly familiar and refreshingly new. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Sep 05, 2020
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Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020) |
Birds of Prey is totally liberated from the garbage that came before it, aiming an eff-you glitter bomb directly at the patriarchy. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Feb 07, 2020
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Last Christmas (2019) |
The combined charms of Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding do a lot to ground the film in a place that feels real and not too quirky. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Jan 30, 2020
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The Gentlemen (2020) |
The Gentlemen wishes it were Ritchie's return to form, but after a decade of big-budget misfires, it can most generously be described as Tarantino-Lite. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Jan 23, 2020
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Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) |
Dead Men Tell No Tales does nothing new and is exactly what you expect -- and that is perfectly okay. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) |
Is it a blatant cash grab from Warner Brothers or a creative return to an expansive world we all knew J.K. Rowling couldn't abandon entirely? Of course it's both. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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The Mummy (2017) |
Absolute garbage from beginning to end. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) |
A middling expansion of the Star Wars universe with more style than heart. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Wonder Woman (2017) |
Wonder Woman brings joy and compassion to the DC Universe. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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The Beguiled (2017) |
Beautiful to behold but ultimately leaves the viewer unsatisfied. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Disney's Descendants 2 (2017) |
Disney fan fiction in excessively vibrant living color, but man, if it isn't delightful. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Murder on the Orient Express (2017) |
You'll leave profoundly annoyed rather than quietly impressed. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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The Florida Project (2017) |
Sean Baker's latest is an achievement in empathy. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Thelma (2017) |
An intense treatise on loneliness, repression, and control. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Lost Child (2017) |
A haunting examination of folklore and isolation. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Thor (2011) |
Thor changed everything. Thor gave us a universe. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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A Wrinkle in Time (2018) |
For every grown-up woman who needed this movie when they were 12, there is a girl who is still growing up and will see herself in Meg. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Call Me by Your Name (2017) |
A timeless and sumptuous tale of the rarity and fullness of love. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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The Shape of Water (2017) |
A fairy tale as universal as it is weird. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Annihilation (2018) |
Annihilation is a shining example of what scifi can be when the narrative hinges on one woman and the world-altering decision she must make: Do I save my world, or not? - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Incredibles 2 (2018) |
My first thought upon leaving the theater after Incredibles 2 is that Disney should make it a policy to wait a decade-and-a-half between sequels. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Ocean's 8 (2018) |
Ocean's 8 goes pretty deep without ever seeming like it's anything but popcorn fare. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Tully (2018) |
Tully brings to unvarnished life that being a mom isn't always magical. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Crazy Rich Asians (2018) |
Crazy Rich Asians is not only the perfect rom-com, but it's the first rom-com I've seen in ages that hasn't bored me to tears. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Cat People (1942) |
To think of this film as a comfort movie is about as strange as it is to call this odd little B-picture a horror movie, because it's not, really. It's so much more. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) |
Solo: A Star Wars Story is a movie I love more and more every time I watch it. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) |
Can You Ever Forgive Me? is one of those movies that's so good that you almost miss it the first time. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Robin Hood (2018) |
An extremely dumb yet enjoyable movie that might be your preferred flavor of trash. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018) |
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is a lot. And none of it is good. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Mary Poppins Returns (2018) |
Practically perfect in every way? Depends on your level of Poppins nostalgia. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Widows (2018) |
A heist movie elevated by layers of empathy and complexity. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Roma (2018) |
Alfonso Cuarón's most masterful film contains multitudes. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Captain Marvel (2019) |
One of Marvel's most layered films, which only gets more enjoyable on the rewatch. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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The Kid Who Would Be King (2019) |
Joe Cornish's timely retelling of Arthurian legend is an adventure for the whole family. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Unicorn Store (2017) |
Brie Larson's directorial debut offers a quieter, but potent, kind of girl power. - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Creed II (2018) |
A tale as old as time, yet Creed II feels fresher than ever - Midwest Film Journal
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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