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Goodfellas
(1990)
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Michael Wilmington
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It's staggering: a feast of virtuoso Steadicam tracking shots, ironically pell-mell editing, and a mix of baroque visual satire, off-key realism, and brilliant, scabrous dialogue that elevates gutter badinage to the high verbal style of a Jacobean drama.
Posted Oct 18, 2023
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Platoon
(1986)
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Michael Wilmington
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Oliver Stone's Platoon is a Vietnam War film that hits you like a rolling wave from a long-ago battle zone: a blood tide of rage and pain.
Posted Aug 19, 2022
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Mephisto
(1981)
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Michael Wilmington
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An almost magnetically powerful indictment of political opportunism in the arts.
Posted Aug 11, 2022
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The Assistant
(2019)
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Catherine Capellaro
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The Assistant quietly exposes the complicity that protects powerful predators.
Posted Feb 28, 2020
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Pain and Glory
(2019)
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Catherine Capellaro
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We are seeing the world - in all its sadness and beauty - through his eyes. Banderas brings it all to life.
Posted Feb 06, 2020
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Just Mercy
(2019)
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Catherine Capellaro
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Foxx's performance as McMillian continues to haunt me. He transforms from the easygoing lumberjack to a stifled, cautious prisoner, who, after so many disappointments and losses, can barely let himself hope for any measure of justice.
Posted Jan 24, 2020
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Queen & Slim
(2019)
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Catherine Capellaro
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As a work of social commentary, Queen & Slim is powerful and surprisingly subtle. As a romance, it is utterly devastating.
Posted Dec 13, 2019
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Neither Wolf Nor Dog
(2016)
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Catherine Capellaro
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The presence of [David William Beautiful] Bald Eagle, sadly, isn't enough to save this movie. It's just enough to make me sad that I wasn't seeing a documentary about his life.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Leave No Trace
(2018)
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Catherine Capellaro
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The simple story touches on themes of trauma and loss, belonging and technology. But it does so effortlessly by focusing on a relationship between a father and daughter.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Amazing Grace
(2018)
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Catherine Capellaro
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It serves as a testament to one of the greatest singers our country has produced. It also honors the black churches that launched her -- and created the foundations of funk, soul and jazz.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Sorry to Bother You
(2018)
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Catherine Capellaro
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You never stop rooting for Cassius, even when he's lured into making poor choices. And just when you think it can't get any weirder, it does.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Hannah Gadsby: Nanette
(2018)
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Catherine Capellaro
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Gadsby grabs your attention with jokes and then slowly and expertly peels back layers to reveal a deep well of shame and anger.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Knock Down the House
(2019)
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Catherine Capellaro
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The inspiring documentary Knock Down the House shows the rise of AOC and three other progressive women who emerged after the 2016 elections.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Disobedience
(2017)
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Catherine Capellaro
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If you're up for a slow burn, and some magnificent acting, you'll want to see it.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Won't You Be My Neighbor?
(2018)
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Catherine Capellaro
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My heart was warmed to near exploding by seeing the great man on screen.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Love, Gilda
(2018)
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Catherine Capellaro
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For those of us who stayed up past our bedtimes in the '70s watching the very first cast of Saturday Night Live, the film will serve as a flashback.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Welcome to Marwen
(2018)
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Catherine Capellaro
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The biggest asset is Carell, whose heartbreaking portrayal of the lonely, traumatized artist is just what fans of Marwencol would hope for.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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American Factory
(2019)
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Catherine Capellaro
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American Factory is the finest kind of documentary, one that is able to focus on people's individual lives and struggles while also illuminating global issues.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Tully
(2018)
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Catherine Capellaro
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You don't have to be a parent to enjoy Tully. We've all been a parent or a child -- and this film is really about how we take care of ourselves, and each other.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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The Favourite
(2018)
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Catherine Capellaro
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It features a sharp, farcical screenplay (by Tony McNamara and Deborah Davies), along with Lanthimos' signature weirdness and Oscar-worthy performances by three strong women.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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RBG
(2018)
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Catherine Capellaro
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It's a superhero movie with a twist.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Miss Sharon Jones!
(2015)
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Catherine Capellaro
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This film, with its luminous hero and life-affirming message and soundtrack, will make you glad you're alive.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Paterson
(2016)
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Catherine Capellaro
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Paterson's underlying message -- that art is everywhere and for everyone -- is one we could all stand to hear.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Say Amen, Somebody
(1982)
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Catherine Capellaro
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If Say Amen does nothing more than introduce us to Dorsey, a Chicago-based music director who died in 1993, it will have done its duty. But it does so much more than that.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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The War at Home
(1979)
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Catherine Capellaro
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The War at Home is engrossing and essential viewing for anyone curious about the role of ordinary people in making change.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Cave of Forgotten Dreams
(2010)
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Catherine Capellaro
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Cave of Forgotten Dreams transports its audience into another world, on an intimate visit to France's Chauvet Cave, where only a handful of modern humans have ever been. It's one of the most significant 3-D films to ever hit the screen.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Spotlight
(2015)
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Catherine Capellaro
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Spotlight is a taut, pulse-pounding thriller. The all-star cast delivers realistic and transformative performances.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Contemporary Color
(2016)
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Catherine Capellaro
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The music and the routines start to blend together after a while, but the passion the young people show for their art is palpable.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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I, Daniel Blake
(2016)
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Catherine Capellaro
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[A] deeply moving portrait of poverty and human dignity.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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The Seer: A Portrait of Wendell Berry
(2016)
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Catherine Capellaro
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The film is more of a visual poem than a documentary, which is fitting, because Berry is a poet/farmer/activist/essayist who has devoted his life to collapsing distinctions.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Redoubtable
(2017)
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Catherine Capellaro
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Godard Mon Amour is a witty and and whimsical new film from Michel Hazanavicius, who directed the Oscar-winning stunner, The Artist.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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What Will People Say
(2017)
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Catherine Capellaro
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What Will People Say provides surprising moments of tenderness amid heart-pounding drama.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Good Manners
(2017)
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Catherine Capellaro
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Good Manners is a romance, a coming-of-age story, a monster movie, and even a bit of a musical. So, it's surprising, with so many disparate elements, that the story holds together.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda
(2017)
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Catherine Capellaro
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Spend some time with Riyuchi Sakamoto and you will see and hear the world differently. It's what some of us want in a movie experience.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Pet Names
(2018)
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Catherine Capellaro
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This meditation on friendship sneaks up on the viewer, making it more than the sum of its parts.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Transit
(2018)
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Catherine Capellaro
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[The narrator] names the feeling they all share at that moment: shame. And we feel it, too. Shame that we still live in a world where a piece of paper can be the difference between life and liberty -- or death.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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Who Will Write Our History
(2018)
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Catherine Capellaro
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Grossman's film employs archival photos and videos, but it also illustrates the powerful writings from the unearthed archive with reenactments. Some of these lack the power of the original material. But any more wartime footage would be hard to take.
Posted Nov 22, 2019
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The Blob
(1958)
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Michael Wilmington
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A hungry glob of protoplasm from outer space goes on a rampage in this cretinous thriller, which has a totally undeserved reputation as a horror classic.
Posted Mar 25, 2019
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4.5/5
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Room
(2015)
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Adam Tobias
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Room will leave you battered, bruised and exhausted, but it's unlike any other moviegoing experience you will encounter this year.
Posted Nov 22, 2015
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4/5
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Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
(2015)
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Adam Tobias
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Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is more about the journey than the destination. And it's well worth the ride.
Posted Jul 03, 2015
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4.5/5
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Inside Out
(2015)
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Adam Tobias
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Usually those annoying 3D glasses are worth neither the hassle nor the surcharge, but in this case they saved my two children from noticing their normally stoic father blubbering like a newborn baby.
Posted Jun 19, 2015
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2.5/5
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Tomorrowland
(2015)
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Adam Tobias
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I suspect there's a spectacular movie hiding in Tomorrowland, but you'd have to get past the preaching to find it.
Posted May 21, 2015
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