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3.5/4
|
It Happened One Night
(1934)
|
Christy Lemire
|
It's all about the snappy dialogue and simmering tension between these hugely charismatic stars.
Posted Sep 05, 2018
|
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4/4
|
The Lives of Others
(2006)
|
Christy Lemire
|
The Lives of Others is exquisitely tense, with massive stakes and a pervasive sense of danger.
Posted Aug 23, 2018
|
|
3.5/4
|
The Vanishing
(1988)
|
Christy Lemire
|
It's an elegant, riveting piece of filmmaking.
Posted Aug 20, 2018
|
|
2/4
|
Razorback
(1984)
|
Christy Lemire
|
It isn't as nutty as it could have been, and it certainly isn't as nutty as its description suggests.
Posted Jul 31, 2018
|
|
1/4
|
The Pagemaster
(1994)
|
Christy Lemire
|
The Pagemaster is the kind of movie first-grade teachers would have popped into the VCR in the 1990s to kill time on a rainy afternoon.
Posted Jul 15, 2018
|
|
2/4
|
A Bridge Too Far
(1977)
|
Christy Lemire
|
It would seem impossible to go wrong with such an incredible, all-star cast - which makes A Bridge Too Far such a frustrating misfire (no pun intended).
Posted Jul 02, 2018
|
|
3/4
|
Body Double
(1984)
|
Christy Lemire
|
It's an expertly crafted B-movie, a brisk and twisty mixture of the slick and sleazy, the glossy and grungy.
Posted Jun 18, 2018
|
|
3/4
|
Big Wednesday
(1978)
|
Christy Lemire
|
Looking back at the strong, young cast, the evocative sense of time and place and the thrilling ocean imagery, Big Wednesday certainly deserves a spot among the pantheon of classic surfing films.
Posted Jun 03, 2018
|
|
3/4
|
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
(1988)
|
Christy Lemire
|
Technology has advanced significantly since 1988, but Roger Rabbit doesn't just hold up, it wows.
Posted May 29, 2018
|
|
2/4
|
Cradle Will Rock
(1999)
|
Christy Lemire
|
The let's-put-on-a-show energy can be intoxicating. But man, does it take a long time to achieve that high.
Posted May 07, 2018
|
|
3.5/4
|
Local Hero
(1983)
|
Christy Lemire
|
Writer-director Bill Forsyth's 1983 film sneaks up on you. It takes its time. It reveals its characters through snippets of conversation and casual interactions.
Posted Apr 23, 2018
|
|
3/4
|
Suspiria
(1977)
|
Christy Lemire
|
Argento accomplishes so much simply through lighting and music - which goes a long way to compensate for the stilted dialogue and awkward character interactions.
Posted Apr 16, 2018
|
|
3/4
|
After Hours
(1985)
|
Christy Lemire
|
It might not make any sense. It might not even matter. But it's a blast while it lasts, and it brings the most perfect of endings along with the sunrise.
Posted Apr 09, 2018
|
|
2.5/4
|
Zardoz
(1974)
|
Christy Lemire
|
Such a wildly ambitious misfire that you can't help but root for it, or at least feel some twisted sense of affection for it.
Posted Apr 02, 2018
|
|
2.5/4
|
Newsies
(1992)
|
Christy Lemire
|
It's extremely earnest and more than a little corny, but there's an innocence about it that makes it kinda irresistible.
Posted Mar 19, 2018
|
|
1/4
|
Graffiti Bridge
(1990)
|
Christy Lemire
|
Graffiti Bridge is essentially a series of music videos strung together uncomfortably with awkward dialogue and stiff acting.
Posted Mar 05, 2018
|
|
4/4
|
Bicycle Thieves
(1948)
|
Christy Lemire
|
Decades later, you can see the influence of Bicycle Thieves everywhere, in a variety of genres and languages.
Posted Feb 27, 2018
|
|
2/4
|
Nine Lives
(2016)
|
Christy Lemire
|
It's not that Nine Lives is terrible. It's just that it's not terrible enough.
Posted Aug 09, 2016
|
|
3/4
|
The Secret Life of Pets
(2016)
|
Christy Lemire
|
It is an incredibly simple yet irresistible idea for a movie. It's also exactly what you think it's going to be - no more, no less.
Posted Jul 26, 2016
|
|
3/4
|
Finding Dory
(2016)
|
Christy Lemire
|
It's gorgeous. It's lively. It's got terrific performances from a strong voice cast. It's emotionally affecting without being heavy-handed.
Posted Jun 26, 2016
|
|
.5/4
|
The Do Over
(2016)
|
Christy Lemire
|
Typical Adam Sandler fare in every way, from the raunchy humor to the inclusion of his buddies to the deplorable view of women to the vacation disguised as a movie shoot to the forced sentimentality in the final act.
Posted Jun 18, 2016
|
|
3.5/4
|
Captain America: Civil War
(2016)
|
Christy Lemire
|
The fact that a Marvel movie dares to question the big, shiny spectacle that is its bread and butter - and acknowledge that untold thousands die in the name of entertainment - seems rather novel.
Posted May 11, 2016
|
|
.5/4
|
Mother's Day
(2016)
|
Christy Lemire
|
Mother's Day might be trying to show how diverse and progressive it is in representing every kind of family, but it's a laugh track away from Three's Company levels of subterfuge.
Posted May 02, 2016
|
|
1.5/4
|
Hardcore Henry
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
It is pummeling. It is punishing. It is nauseating and headache-inducing.
Posted Apr 09, 2016
|
|
1/4
|
The Divergent Series: Allegiant
(2016)
|
Christy Lemire
|
A nightmarish landscape that's meant to be frightening - or at least unsettling - ends up being hilariously cheesy instead.
Posted Mar 20, 2016
|
|
1/4
|
London Has Fallen
(2016)
|
Christy Lemire
|
London Has Fallen is Donald Trump in film form.
Posted Mar 14, 2016
|
|
3/4
|
Hail, Caesar!
(2016)
|
Christy Lemire
|
Their latest, Hail, Caesar!, is their giddiest comedy to date, but it's also hit-and-miss within itself.
Posted Feb 18, 2016
|
|
3/4
|
Kung Fu Panda 3
(2016)
|
Christy Lemire
|
So vividly immersive is Kung Fu Panda 3 - so vibrant, so tactile - it will make you feel as if you've stepped into a fully realized world. And then once you've stepped out, you'll be craving dumplings.
Posted Feb 12, 2016
|
|
1.5/4
|
The 5th Wave
(2016)
|
Christy Lemire
|
The 5th Wave plays like a Wayans-brothers spoof of movies based on dystopian Young Adult novels. Seriously, it could have been called YA Movie the way it wallows in all the overly familiar tropes of the genre.
Posted Jan 24, 2016
|
|
3.5/4
|
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
That's what's so impressive about the tricky balancing act Abrams has pulled off with The Force Awakens: He's made a movie that's simultaneously gripping and a huge release. We are in good hands, at last.
Posted Dec 20, 2015
|
|
0/4
|
The Ridiculous 6
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
You can watch The Ridiculous 6 whenever you'd like from the comfort of your own home. Lucky you.
Posted Dec 14, 2015
|
|
4/4
|
Spotlight
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
Like the story being reported within the film, Spotlight is simultaneously emotional and clear-eyed. It's an explosive yet necessary piece of journalism in and of itself. And it's easily one of the year's best.
Posted Nov 14, 2015
|
|
4/4
|
Room
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
This is one of those situations in which mere words seem insufficient in describing a film's profoundly moving power.
Posted Oct 24, 2015
|
|
2.5/4
|
Hotel Transylvania 2
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
Hotel Transylvania 2 is the greatest movie Adam Sandler and Kevin James have ever made together. I believe this is called "damning with faint praise."
Posted Sep 29, 2015
|
|
4/4
|
Goodnight Mommy
(2014)
|
Christy Lemire
|
This is deft and daring storytelling that will grip anyone who's willing to be a little uncomfortable - make that a lot uncomfortable - and who's willing to follow it into some dark and twisted territory.
Posted Sep 15, 2015
|
|
1.5/4
|
War Room
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
War Room is the most slickly made faith-based film I've seen yet in terms of production values, but that doesn't make it quote-unquote good, per se.
Posted Sep 11, 2015
|
|
3/4
|
We Are Your Friends
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
It's the perfect one-last-blast movie for the end of summer.
Posted Aug 28, 2015
|
|
3.5/4
|
Straight Outta Compton
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
It's very easy to imagine sing-along showings cropping up for years to come.
Posted Aug 21, 2015
|
|
1/4
|
Fantastic Four
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
Laughably cheesy, bordering on Zardoz levels of simplicity.
Posted Aug 10, 2015
|
|
3/4
|
Paper Towns
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
Paper Towns is a movie that I really liked, but I probably would have loved if I'd seen it when I was 13.
Posted Jul 24, 2015
|
|
3/4
|
Ant-Man
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
The overwhelming, self-serious sense that we are watching something Very Important blissfully doesn't exist in Ant-Man. It's just plain fun: light, breezy, simple and enjoyable.
Posted Jul 22, 2015
|
|
2/4
|
Minions
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
Fittingly, because they're pill-shaped, the Minions work best in small doses.
Posted Jul 12, 2015
|
|
3.5/4
|
Tangerine
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
Tangerine is a great Los Angeles movie and a great indie and a great reminder of the possibilities of creativity during a time when everything is a sequel or a reboot or a comic-book spectacle.
Posted Jul 11, 2015
|
|
3.5/4
|
Amy
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
A mesmerizing yet devastating look at a singular talent.
Posted Jul 10, 2015
|
|
3/4
|
Magic Mike XXL
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
If you're not a fireman or a police officer or a cowboy beneath those breakaway pants, then who are you, really? This is the central question of Magic Mike XXL.
Posted Jul 01, 2015
|
|
1.5/4
|
Max
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
Max is an absurdly violent PG-rated movie in which kids and dogs are repeatedly in peril.
Posted Jun 29, 2015
|
|
2.5/4
|
Ted 2
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
If you liked the original Ted, Seth MacFarlane's 2012 surprise smash about a pot-smoking, potty-mouthed teddy bear, then you will probably like Ted 2. It is essentially the exact same movie, and more - and less.
Posted Jun 28, 2015
|
|
3.5/4
|
Inside Out
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
This is a movie that dares to explore existential crises, in the middle of the summer, in an animated movie that's aimed at the whole family
Posted Jun 24, 2015
|
|
2/4
|
Jurassic World
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
So basically, Jurassic World is a big-budget indictment of corporate greed, jammed with product placement for Samsung and Mercedes-Benz and Beats by Dre and Coca-Cola.
Posted Jun 16, 2015
|
|
1.5/4
|
Entourage
(2015)
|
Christy Lemire
|
These guys learn nothing, they don't change, they have no arc and they are never truly challenged.
Posted Jun 10, 2015
|
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