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Emily S. Mendel

Emily S. Mendel's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at Tomatometer-approved publication(s).
Biography:

culturevulture.net film critic.

Publications:

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
The Boys Who Said NO! (2020) EDIT “[Director Judith Ehrlich] has done history an excellent service in memorializing this enduring portrait of America during an earlier time of momentous inner conflict.” – culturevulture.net Oct 9, 2020 Full Review The Fight (2020) 99% EDIT “The Fight excels at presenting these attorneys working under the pressure of defending our civil rights, and the burden it places on them and their families.” – culturevulture.net Aug 7, 2020 Full Review The Bronze (2015) 37% EDIT “It's too bad that [the movie] misses the mark, because the Rauchs developed a unique character and the movie had some funny moments.” – culturevulture.net Mar 17, 2016 Full Review Embrace of the Serpent (2015) 97% EDIT “I saw [the film] twice - something I rarely do - and was mesmerized and haunted by it both times.” – culturevulture.net Feb 15, 2016 Full Review Janis: Little Girl Blue (2015) 94% EDIT “Her music still sounds terrific. Watching her perform made me happy and sad.” – culturevulture.net Nov 27, 2015 Full Review Trumbo (2015) 74% EDIT “I very much enjoyed watching the uplifting "Trumbo," despite a few speechifying monologues, flashes of clumsy exposition...and often flat affect. Definitely, it's a film worth seeing.” – culturevulture.net Nov 11, 2015 Full Review Best of Enemies (2015) 93% EDIT “Not only does this riveting documentary skillfully portray the debates, it also deftly examines how the debates affected Vidal's and Buckley's personal lives and the future of political discourse in general.” – culturevulture.net Jul 30, 2015 Full Review Irrational Man (2015) 47% EDIT “... [the film] had enough of a pull to hold my interest despite its uneven writing, plot and pace. ... the existential theme ... reveals as much about Allen as it does about his characters.” – culturevulture.net Jul 30, 2015 Full Review The Third Man (1949) 99% EDIT “The bombed buildings, piles of rubble and their evocative shadows form a haunting backdrop to the outdoor scenes, particularly at night. ... Greene's talent for dialogue and suspense shine. [It] has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster.” – culturevulture.net Jul 4, 2015 Full Review Bessie (2015) 91% EDIT “... give Bessie a try ... to see Queen Latifah's performance and learn a bit about Bessie Smith's life and times, and turn in off if and when it starts to drag.” – culturevulture.net May 23, 2015 Full Review Serena (2014) 17% EDIT “Based on hackneyed plot complications, Serena devolves into a Lady Macbeth of the mountains ... as the film moves toward a too predictable ending.” – culturevulture.net Mar 26, 2015 Full Review Mr. Turner (2014) 96% EDIT “... one of the most memorable and intriguing films I've seen in a long time. Mike Leigh should be congratulated for the creativity and artistry of this film.” – culturevulture.net Dec 23, 2014 Full Review A Letter to Momo (2011) 80% EDIT “It's (... ) remarkable since it's a tender, sweet film that softly explores the resolution of loss on levels that parents and children both will understand, enjoy and savor.” – culturevulture.net Sep 4, 2014 Full Review I Travel Alone (2013) 62% EDIT “Margherita Buy very much deserved the [Italian Oscar (R)] she won for her role ... And although [it] can be slow at moments, in its own way, it's an important film about women, and should be seen.” – culturevulture.net Aug 5, 2014 Full Review Jersey Boys (2014) 51% EDIT “...the movie actually drags a bit in between songs. Lacking is the dramatic staging and lighting of the musical.” – culturevulture.net Jul 6, 2014 Full Review Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me (2013) 98% EDIT “What might have been merely a sycophantic airbrushed view of Ms. Stritch and her marvelous talents, instead, is a fully candid, unrehearsed, intimate, three-dimensional portrait.” – culturevulture.net Jun 25, 2014 Full Review The Monuments Men (2014) 30% EDIT “By trying to follow closely the book on which it is based, no individual dramatic component of the film grabs the viewer. ... And then, there's no satisfying conclusion.” – culturevulture.net Jun 25, 2014 Full Review Third Person (2013) 25% EDIT “The plot is disjointed, the dialogue is clumsy, and some of the acting is sub-par (...) yet I wanted to know the film's outcome.” – culturevulture.net Jun 25, 2014 Full Review The Double (2013) 83% EDIT “Talented director Richard Avoade (Submarine), cinematographer Erik Wilson and the art and set directors have created a riveting authoritarian world.” – culturevulture.net Jun 24, 2014 Full Review Hannah Arendt (2012) 86% EDIT “From watching Hannah Arendt, we learn that it is possible to make a taut, compelling film about intellectuals, their opinions and discourse.” – culturevulture.net Feb 17, 2014 Full Review The Attack (2012) 86% EDIT “We learn that beneath some urbane and sophisticated Israelis lies a cold and hardened heart. We see Palestinians who live to commit terror without regard to its consequences.” – culturevulture.net Feb 17, 2014 Full Review The Invisible Woman (2013) 76% EDIT “This is not a film about the good-hearted Christmas-loving Dickens.” – culturevulture.net Feb 17, 2014 Full Review Austenland (2013) 32% EDIT “... a frothy summer movie with romance, humor, a dab of social commentary and a happy ending."” – culturevulture.net Aug 29, 2013 Full Review The Rabbi's Cat (2011) 94% EDIT “Sfar's enchanting portrait of a society in which Jews and Muslims live compatibly is a lesson for our time” – culturevulture.net Jan 19, 2013 Full Review Brooklyn Castle (2012) 96% EDIT “... a powerful and positive story about dedicated teachers helping kids succeed no matter what their circumstances” – culturevulture.net Dec 10, 2012 Full Review
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