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Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
(2023)
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Jordan Hoffman
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The movie winds up being confusing (a sin) and dull (a bigger sin.)
Posted Feb 16, 2023
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She Said
(2022)
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Jordan Hoffman
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[P]acks a punch.
Posted Nov 26, 2022
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The Fabelmans
(2022)
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Jordan Hoffman
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[O]ne of the best movies of the year, and unlike anything else in this innovator’s incomparable career.
Posted Nov 11, 2022
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Thor: Love and Thunder
(2022)
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Jordan Hoffman
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[Y]ou may feel as if [Taika] Waititi’s hammer is hitting you over the head.
Posted Jul 13, 2022
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Black Widow
(2021)
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Jordan Hoffman
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If by "good" you mean, "I sat in the dark for two hours and barely thought about my upcoming doctor's appointment or my car payments," then sure, it's good.
Posted Jul 01, 2021
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Leona
(2018)
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Jordan Hoffman
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There's a level of maturity and realism to this story that is thrilling.
Posted Feb 12, 2021
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Wonder Woman 1984
(2020)
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Jordan Hoffman
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The plot is bewildering, the character motivations are muddy, and the action sequences - table stakes for this sort of thing - are underwhelming.
Posted Dec 22, 2020
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The King of Staten Island
(2020)
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Jordan Hoffman
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Despite "looking like an anorexic panda," [Pete Davidson] is a tidal wave of charisma and clever quips.
Posted Jun 08, 2020
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Avengers: Endgame
(2019)
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Jordan Hoffman
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The 3-hour culmination of 22 chapters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is worth going back in time and watching again.
Posted Apr 29, 2019
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Ask Dr. Ruth
(2019)
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Jordan Hoffman
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Most of "Ask Dr. Ruth" is nonstop fun. No one else could look their interviewer in the eye and say "this is a stupid question!" in such a friendly, lovable way.
Posted Apr 26, 2019
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Sunset
(2018)
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Jordan Hoffman
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Approach as you would an impressionist painting.
Posted Mar 22, 2019
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Untogether
(2018)
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Jordan Hoffman
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Untogether is a very poorly made film with no real conclusion, and does nothing to dispel the notion that sometimes wealthy people make movies just because they can, not because they should.
Posted Feb 08, 2019
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The Invisibles
(2017)
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Jordan Hoffman
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Levi is still with us at age 94, and living in Germany. So for her, at least, hope and luck somehow were enough.
Posted Jan 18, 2019
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Who Will Write Our History
(2018)
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Jordan Hoffman
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It's not easy to thread this type of formalist needle, but Grossman maintains a level of urgency that is (and I hate describing movies about the Holocaust this way) quite entertaining.
Posted Jan 18, 2019
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Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh
(2018)
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Jordan Hoffman
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[Cements] the fact that Adam Sandler, whether you find him to be one of the comic greats or an immature idiot, is a mensch of the highest order.
Posted Nov 12, 2018
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The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
(2018)
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Jordan Hoffman
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Fans of the Coen Brothers' work will be thrilled with "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs," as it offers so many varieties on what they do well. It regularly jumps between moments of loquacious absurdity to dusty existentialism.
Posted Oct 18, 2018
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American Dharma
(2018)
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Jordan Hoffman
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If anything, we should be thanking Errol Morris, who sat across from Stephen Bannon for days on end listening to his stories - so we didn't have to.
Posted Oct 18, 2018
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306 Hollywood
(2018)
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Jordan Hoffman
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For every moment that feels overdone there are three moments that are genuinely touching. Then comes the coup-de-grâce.
Posted Sep 28, 2018
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Memoir of War
(2017)
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Jordan Hoffman
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A punch to the gut - but also remarkable for its specificity.
Posted Aug 21, 2018
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Ant-Man and The Wasp
(2018)
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Jordan Hoffman
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Paul Rudd is neither an aunt nor a WASP but he's fantastic in "Ant-Man and the Wasp."
Posted Jul 06, 2018
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Spiral
(2017)
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Jordan Hoffman
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I doubt I'll have stronger mixed feelings about a movie this year than Laura Fairrie's documentary "Spiral"
Posted Jun 29, 2018
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Itzhak
(2017)
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Jordan Hoffman
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An inspiring and upbeat film.
Posted Jun 05, 2018
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Solo: A Star Wars Story
(2018)
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Jordan Hoffman
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So it turns out Han Solo may have a lot in common with your grandparents.
Posted May 18, 2018
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The 12th Man
(2017)
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Jordan Hoffman
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The best freedom-fighting reindeer in all of cinema can be found right here in "The 12th Man."
Posted May 08, 2018
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Love, Gilda
(2018)
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Jordan Hoffman
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There's no doubt that D'Apolito loves Gilda, and as a result, this movie is pointless and anodyne.
Posted Apr 22, 2018
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Hitler's Hollywood
(2017)
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Jordan Hoffman
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"Hitler's Hollywood" is a nightmare and a warning in the least expected package: a cinema studies crash-course. It's up to us in the audience to learn from it.
Posted Apr 11, 2018
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7 Days in Entebbe
(2018)
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Jordan Hoffman
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Entebbe would have been far better served to simply tell the story of what happened, not set a stage for political speechifying. Every other movie about Israel does that, you'd think if any story could stay focused on some glory it would be this one.
Posted Mar 02, 2018
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Annihilation
(2018)
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Jordan Hoffman
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Can a flower be scary? Yes, a flower can be scary.
Posted Feb 23, 2018
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Son of God
(2014)
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Jordan Hoffman
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The film's low quality, however, is undeniable. The chintzy music over the closing credits, just after Jesus ascends to heaven in a cloud of bundled iMac special effects, is just laughable.
Posted Feb 01, 2018
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Two Trains Runnin'
(2016)
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Jordan Hoffman
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But for those who don't know about the martyred voter registration activists, this new film is an awakening on two levels.
Posted Feb 01, 2018
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Triple 9
(2016)
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Jordan Hoffman
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At the end of the day, stories need to be about characters, not types. While nothing that ought to inspire a letter writing campaign from the ADL,"Triple 9" fails to make it past shorthand.
Posted Feb 01, 2018
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Ben-Hur
(2016)
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Jordan Hoffman
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The movie isn't really saying anything, and is just cruising on the fumes left over from our associations with a classic.
Posted Feb 01, 2018
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Son of Saul
(2015)
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Jordan Hoffman
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Perhaps one of the most striking works of art about the Holocaust yet made.
Posted Feb 01, 2018
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Junction 48
(2016)
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Jordan Hoffman
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"Junction 48" is something worth checking out - particularly if you are a fan of Arabic hip-hop, which, now that I've seen this movie, I guess I am.
Posted Feb 01, 2018
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Ben-Gurion, Epilogue
(2016)
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Jordan Hoffman
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It is an often-mocked image, but it is explained here in terms of someone, even in their 80s, looking for change wherever one can find it. It may not be a bad idea to embrace other perspectives no matter where they come from.
Posted Feb 01, 2018
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The Settlers
(2016)
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Jordan Hoffman
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[Shimon] Dotan's documentary, is a commendable and effective work of propaganda. It gives you just enough of the "other side" to make it seem fair and balanced.
Posted Feb 01, 2018
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Foxtrot
(2017)
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Jordan Hoffman
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This is very much a universal story. And one shot with grace, confidence, humor and a visual flair that even makes cans of potted meat look beautiful.
Posted Feb 01, 2018
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Disobedience
(2017)
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Jordan Hoffman
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At first it seems like a typical push-pull between tradition and modernity, but once we dig in with the characters, it has the crackle and sympathy of real life.
Posted Feb 01, 2018
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mother!
(2017)
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Jordan Hoffman
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When you eventually see this you may hate it, but you can't say it isn't brilliant.
Posted Feb 01, 2018
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Call Me by Your Name
(2017)
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Jordan Hoffman
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"Call Me By Your Name" can be considered an idealistic film, but that's only natural for something about young people experiencing something wonderful for the first time.
Posted Feb 01, 2018
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The Testament
(2017)
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Jordan Hoffman
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"The Testament" is that sort of big movie, and concludes with an extra layer of buried poignancy. No, you actually haven't seen this story before.
Posted Feb 01, 2018
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Obvious Child
(2014)
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Jordan Hoffman
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Beyond the identity politics and humor, Obvious Child goes the extra mile to represent a seldom voiced, moderate position about a hot button topic.
Posted Jan 04, 2018
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A German Life
(2016)
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Jordan Hoffman
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If we are to Never Forget, we must also try, as difficult as it is, to understand.
Posted Dec 21, 2017
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Star Wars: The Last Jedi
(2017)
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Jordan Hoffman
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'The Last Jedi' walks a fine line for fans, creating a solid standalone film that shines within the franchise canon.
Posted Dec 12, 2017
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Phantom Thread
(2017)
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Jordan Hoffman
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For Daniel Day-Lewis, I dare call it a perfect fit.
Posted Dec 08, 2017
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The Post
(2017)
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Jordan Hoffman
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There could not be a more timely film.
Posted Dec 07, 2017
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Justice League
(2017)
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Jordan Hoffman
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The whole world loves these characters, and so much time, effort and money has been hurled at this property. But the story in Justice League is practically non-existent -- and, even more insulting, the big Hollywood special effects look like garbage.
Posted Nov 15, 2017
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Wonder Wheel
(2017)
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Jordan Hoffman
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A terrific, dark look at nostalgia.
Posted Oct 13, 2017
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Hannah Arendt
(2012)
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Jordan Hoffman
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This all may sound all very heavy, but it is important to also point out that Hannah Arendt is also a good movie.
Posted Sep 26, 2017
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No Place on Earth
(2012)
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Jordan Hoffman
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This film, while hardly being a masterpiece of cinema, has more than its share of gripping moments and emotional revelations.
Posted Sep 26, 2017
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