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Bo Burnham: Inside
(2021)
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Angela L. Harmon
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It was bound to be clever. It was bound to be enlightening. But the degree of devastation that "Inside" imposes on you isn't like anything you'd expect or could prepare for.
Posted Jul 06, 2021
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The Trial of the Chicago 7
(2020)
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Angela L. Harmon
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Intentionally or not, The Trial of the Chicago 7 is an exquisite display of the white man's role in the American political and judicial systems, for better and worse.
Posted Dec 12, 2020
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Tesla
(2020)
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Angela L. Harmon
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This film lacks the fundamental element that made Tesla's AC current so innovative: there is absolutely no spark.
Posted Sep 07, 2020
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Boys State
(2020)
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Angela L. Harmon
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If Boys State is a microcosm of our political system (the lack of girls notwithstanding), of the youth participating in it and their dedication to the cause, have so, so, so much hope.
Posted Aug 14, 2020
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Shirley
(2020)
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Angela L. Harmon
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'Shirley' imagines the unconventional woman as societal terrorist, capable of profound, delectable corruption.
Posted Jun 23, 2020
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The Purge: Anarchy
(2014)
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Angela L. Harmon
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The world-building of this movie is so lazy that anything built upon it cannot be of any substance, because the foundation is too weak.
Posted Dec 16, 2019
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Jersey Boys
(2014)
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Angela L. Harmon
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Whatever you call it, it operates under the same purpose as trying to fit a donut through a keyhole.
Posted Dec 16, 2019
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Ida
(2013)
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Angela L. Harmon
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If life is made up of small moments, Ida is a full-length mirror.
Posted Dec 16, 2019
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Boyhood
(2014)
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Angela L. Harmon
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Stylistically, Boyhood is exceptional, and Linklater's foresight with technology and culture is something to be revered.
Posted Dec 16, 2019
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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1
(2014)
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Angela L. Harmon
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Enjoy Mockingjay - Part One for the function it serves to set up the finale, and let's look forward to Mockingjay - Part Two. I think a year from now, hindsight will prove that we were all satisfied with The Middle Middle Child.
Posted Dec 16, 2019
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Paranormal Activity
(2007)
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Angela L. Harmon
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It's one thing to create a movie that functions as good narrative storytelling, but it's another to create that movie knowing exactly how an audience is going to react to stimuli.
Posted Dec 12, 2019
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Three Identical Strangers
(2018)
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Angela L. Harmon
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The film has a thesis, which is incredibly refreshing for a documentary. It wraps up both the narrative it constructed, and offers its audience a little nugget of hope...
Posted Dec 12, 2019
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Pawn Sacrifice
(2014)
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Angela L. Harmon
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Perhaps for a chess enthusiast Baby Boomer, this film has more to offer, but that is a narrow core audience for which a movie should be produced.
Posted Dec 11, 2019
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In the Heart of the Sea
(2015)
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Angela L. Harmon
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In the Heart of the Sea is a confused film.
Posted Dec 11, 2019
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Hannah Gadsby: Nanette
(2018)
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Angela L. Harmon
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Gadsby realized that turning her pain into comedy actually forced her to create a specific narrative of her own life that she repeated night after night until it became her reality.
Posted Dec 11, 2019
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There Will Be Blood
(2007)
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Angela L. Harmon
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There Will Be Blood was so good that it's making me rethink those last three PTA features.
Posted Dec 11, 2019
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Won't You Be My Neighbor?
(2018)
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Angela L. Harmon
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Won't You Be My Neighbor? confirms what you already knew: Mr. Rogers was a really great man. It's a 134-minute sigh of relief.
Posted Dec 11, 2019
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Cameron Esposito: Rape Jokes
(2018)
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Angela L. Harmon
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There were times when the special felt its thrown-togetherness, but it's pretty impossible to be cynical at it when it accomplishes way more than a comedy special usually does.
Posted Dec 11, 2019
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Light From Light
(2019)
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Angela L. Harmon
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'Light from Light' worked with a light and careful hand to craft a sense of existential ennui that's hard to do without becoming overbearing.
Posted Oct 19, 2019
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Midsommar
(2019)
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Angela L. Harmon
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The implication that an audience's emotions should be wrenched out rather than coaxed out is as arrogant as 'Midsommar' is self-indulgent.
Posted Jul 11, 2019
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Yesterday
(2019)
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Angela L. Harmon
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Yesterday knows exactly how charming it is, and toes the line of being "too much" so deftly it's basically dancing on it.
Posted Jun 29, 2019
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On the Basis of Sex
(2018)
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Angela L. Harmon
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'On the Basis of Sex' failed to find and use the fortitude of its subject, rather relying on the convention of "humble beginnings" and sucked all the air out of its own story.
Posted Jan 30, 2019
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Boy Erased
(2018)
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Angela L. Harmon
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There is a lot of well-meaning ignorance floating around this story, but ignorance is only well-meaning if it does more good than harm.
Posted Nov 26, 2018
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Can You Ever Forgive Me?
(2018)
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Angela L. Harmon
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That McCarthy plays Israel with the fearful distrust of an abused dog creates a distinct relationship between viewer and subject: she's a protagonist that begs to be sympathized with but doesn't command it.
Posted Nov 25, 2018
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Hereditary
(2018)
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Angela L. Harmon
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You really think Hereditary's bounty of symbolism will amount to something profound, until the third act when you realize it's abandoned all of its commentary for typical horror fare.
Posted Nov 16, 2018
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The Wife
(2017)
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Angela L. Harmon
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Why doesn't Joan's movie know that she's more than a victim? Especially when she also says things like "I don't want to be thought of as the long-suffering wife," and is given scant opportunities to prove herself otherwise?
Posted Nov 09, 2018
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