Carol Cling
Tomatometer-approved critic
http://www.reviewjournal.com
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Wildland (2020) |
An absorbing and often ominous experience... - AWFJ.org
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| Posted Sep 08, 2021
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In Case of Emergency (2020) |
Director Jones - assisted by cinematographer Jaka Vinsek and editors Laura Israel and Chelsea Smith - deftly interweaves talking-heads interviews and action footage. - AWFJ.org
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| Posted Aug 04, 2021
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Paper Spiders (2021) |
A sensitive, bittersweet tale of mental illness' impact. - AWFJ.org
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| Posted Mar 12, 2021
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Corpus Christi (2019) |
Blessed with the soulful eyes of a martyred saint, Bielenia builds a persuasive character who tempts us to believe - and believe in - him, even when we know the truth. - AWFJ.org
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| Posted Feb 07, 2021
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Dirty God (2019) |
Knight... delivers a fiercely compelling performance, giving Dirty God an intensity and insight it might otherwise lack. - AWFJ.org
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| Posted Nov 21, 2020
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The Short History of the Long Road (2019) |
Throughout, writer-director Ani Simon-Kennedy keeps The Short History of the Long Road in gear - but a lower, slower one than you might expect. - AWFJ.org
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| Posted Sep 09, 2020
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Working Man (2019) |
Gerety's understatedly poignant portrayal of Allery - from trembling lip to darting, disbelieving eyes - tells you everything you need to know about this Working Man's anxiety, anguish and pride. - AWFJ.org
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| Posted Jul 20, 2020
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Bull (2019) |
The movie's split focus between Krystal and Abe... diminishes its impact - primarily because Morgan is such a compelling presence. Yet Bull ultimately makes up for it... - AWFJ.org
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| Posted Mar 26, 2020
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Rag Doll (2019) |
We all know that conflict is the key to gripping drama. But Rag Doll piles so many problems onto the slender shoulders of its title character that the drama too often degenerates into eye-rolling melodrama. - AWFJ.org
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| Posted Mar 03, 2020
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Saint Frances (2019) |
A compelling character study that explores somewhat familiar territory in frequently beguiling style. - AWFJ.org
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| Posted Mar 02, 2020
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Light From Light (2019) |
Haunted - and haunting. - AWFJ.org
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| Posted Dec 28, 2019
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To Kid or Not to Kid (2018) |
A documentary that's full of intriguing questions - and no clear answers. - AWFJ.org
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| Posted Dec 07, 2019
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Mickey and the Bear (2019) |
Overcomes a somewhat derivative storyline to forge its own identity. - AWFJ.org
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| Posted Dec 03, 2019
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Collisions (2018) |
Levien makes an accomplished feature debut, balancing the movie's thematic urgency with a steady, low-key approach that reflects the characters' collective plight. - AWFJ.org
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| Posted Oct 01, 2019
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Working Girls (1986) |
- Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Aug 27, 2019
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Step Brothers (2008) |
That ranks as a major disappointment, considering the two goofballs portraying the title Step Brothers -- Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly -- are usually good for at least a few laughs. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Mar 30, 2019
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Inception (2010) |
DiCaprio manages to put that fever(ed) dream behind him to tap a well of melancholy yearning that keeps Inception anchored. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Jul 20, 2015
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X-Men: First Class (2011) |
I suppose it's foolish to expect verisimilitude in a comic book movie -- especially one as entertaining as this proves to be. Besides, they'll have other chances to get it right, now that X-Men: First Class has regained its mojo. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Jul 13, 2015
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The Hurt Locker (2008) |
There are plenty of things in Hurt Locker that may tempt you to cover your ears and hide your eyes. If you do, you'll be missing one of the year's best movies. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Feb 25, 2015
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The King's Speech (2010) |
Exceptional performances? To be sure. Exceptional movie? Not quite. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Feb 20, 2015
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How to Train Your Dragon (2010) |
How to Train Your Dragon is one animated movie where the background images are at least as interesting -- and sometimes more interesting -- than what's in the foreground. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Dec 08, 2014
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The Princess and the Frog (2009) |
The Princess and the Frog serves up a scrumptious jambalaya of delectable elements old and new. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Dec 07, 2014
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) |
Radcliffe retains an endearingly owlish demeanor. But he also captures the quiet determination of a young man determined to confront his life-or-death destiny -- making the world safe for good folks, wizards and Muggles alike -- with admirable aplomb. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Nov 18, 2014
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Coraline (2009) |
It's the stop-motion figures themselves who steal the show. They're so vivid and expressive, in both body and facial movements, that they cease being mere puppets and take on a life all their own. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Nov 17, 2014
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War Horse (2011) |
It remains a noble attempt -- if not exactly an unqualified triumph -- to deliver the kind of good old-fashioned movie designed to bring kids, parents and grandparents together for a good old-fashioned, larger-than-life time at the movies. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Dec 24, 2011
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New Year's Eve (2011) |
Quick -- somebody help me stage an intervention for director Garry Marshall. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Dec 10, 2011
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Tower Heist (2011) |
Neither the best nor the worst of its genre, Tower Heist ranks as one of those amusing trifles that provide an undeniable, but ultimately temporary, escape from the troubles of the day. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Nov 05, 2011
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Yonkers Joe (2008) |
It's far from a natural, but somehow, some way, it makes its point. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Mar 03, 2009
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New in Town (2009) |
As a movie critic, I see movies so you don't have to. Thus, it's my sacred duty to warn you off New in Town -- assuming I have enough brain cells left to write this review. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Jan 30, 2009
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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) |
In pondering the Big Picture, Benjamin Button often falls under the spell of its own epic sweep, inviting us to join its makers in marveling at the marvelousness of it all. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Dec 26, 2008
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Slumdog Millionaire (2008) |
- Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Dec 22, 2008
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Nothing Like the Holidays (2008) |
You know that time-honored holiday dish that turns up on the table every year? The one that reappears annually because it just wouldn't be a holiday celebration without it -- even though everybody's sick of it by now?Consider this the cinematic equivalent - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Dec 12, 2008
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Quantum of Solace (2008) |
We get bullets flying, stuff blowing up real good and the kind of slice-and-dice editing that renders all that action all but impossible to follow. What we don't get, alas, is much character development or emotional depth. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Nov 14, 2008
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Changeling (2008) |
It's a mystery! Wait, it's a corrupt-cop thriller! No, it's a miscarriage-of-justice melodrama! Oh, it's a courtroom drama! Changeling wrestles with more questions of identity than its heroine ever does. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Oct 31, 2008
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W. (2008) |
By his own admission, George W. Bush has his faults, so it seems almost fitting that W. should have them, too. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Oct 17, 2008
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Lakeview Terrace (2008) |
... degenerates from a potentially thoughtful exploration of hot-button issues to just another over-the-top thriller. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Sep 22, 2008
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The Women (2008) |
(Director Diane) English has completely missed the original movie's most distinctive element: its wicked wit. As a result, she's transformed The Women from a catty blast into a declawed exercise in smug self-entitlement. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Sep 12, 2008
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Baghead (2008) |
Baghead's got exactly one joke to exploit -- it's a relationship movie masquerading as a horror movie -- and proceeds to beat it to death. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Sep 05, 2008
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Hamlet 2 (2008) |
As Hamlet himself would (and did say), though this be madness, yet there is method in it. Along with lots of laughs. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Aug 22, 2008
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Encounters at the End of the World (2007) |
... unlike some sound-the-alarm documentaries with a more overt political agenda, Encounters at the End of the World takes after its creator, who allows his extraordinary subjects -- human and otherwise -- to speak for themselves. And, perhaps, for - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Aug 08, 2008
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The Dark Knight (2008) |
A movie perfectly pitched to the nasty desperation of the times. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Jul 18, 2008
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Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) |
In your face. In more ways than one. That's the twist -- and the appeal -- of Journey to the Center of the Earth. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Jul 11, 2008
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Wanted (2008) |
Not content to concentrate on mere mayhem, it aims for something more, and winds up achieving less, trying to pass off a heaping helping of the old ultra-violence as something visionary and profound. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Jun 27, 2008
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Get Smart (2008) |
Missed it by that much. Not that anybody will pay much attention to the many ways in which the new big-screen Get Smart plays dumb -- and fails to capture the delirious slapstick lunacy of its small-screen inspiration. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Jun 20, 2008
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Sex and the City (2008) |
... feels like watching an entire season of shoe love, true love and everything in between -- all crammed into one loooooooooong sitting. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted May 30, 2008
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Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) |
... it's downright refreshing to witness a movie so fully alive to its own antic sense of humor, without any self-conscious, wise-guy irony to get in the way of the fun. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted May 23, 2008
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Deal (2008) |
There are plenty of movies that prove entertaining despite their familiarity; this isn't one of them. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Apr 25, 2008
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The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) |
... a martial-arts variation on a middling musical with knockout dance numbers. It'll be tons of fun on DVD, when we can fast-forward to the good stuff and skip the plodding plot. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Apr 18, 2008
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21 (2008) |
Like a gambler who won't cash in while he's ahead, 21 just keeps playing, hoping another winning hand will turn up even though its luck's run out. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Mar 28, 2008
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Funny Games (2007) |
Haneke's rigorously intellectual, curiously controlled approach all but guarantees that we observe these Funny Games from a distance, with a sense of detachment, rather than sharing the victims' wrenching anguish. - Las Vegas Review-Journal
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| Posted Mar 14, 2008
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