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3/4
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Stand by Me
(1986)
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David Elliott
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"Stand by Me" stirs memories, especially if you've been a boy, especially if (like me), you were a '50s kid whose old pals have grown up and drifted apart.
Posted Aug 23, 2021
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Wonder Woman 1984
(2020)
|
Nina Garin
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Gadot is so skilled at bringing vulnerability to her battles - whether it's a physical fight with Maxwell Lord or an internal struggle about giving up the one thing she's ever desired. She embodies a true superhero, one who is inclusive and noble.
Posted Mar 02, 2021
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The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
(2020)
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Karla Peterson
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If you are already a geek-level fan, Marshall's detail-rich, interview-stuffed film will still yield many delightful gems.
Posted Dec 31, 2020
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Seven Days in Utopia
(2011)
|
Dan Bennett
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The film is straightforward, happily willing to cite God as the inspiration for its characters, also able to assemble a story that while perhaps short of divinely creative intervention, is easy to like and enjoy.
Posted May 01, 2020
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4/4
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Baghdad ER
(2006)
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Robert P. Laurence
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You need to see it. When it's over, you'll not only have a clearer picture of the price of war, you'll also admire both the men and women who are fighting in Iraq and the doctors and nurses of Baghdad's 86th Combat Support Hospital.
Posted Mar 13, 2018
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3/4
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Suburban Madness
(2004)
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Robert P. Laurence
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Still the most persistent and industrious producer of TV movies in an era when other broadcast networks have almost abandoned the whole idea, CBS knows a movie-worthy scandal when it sees one, and the Harrises fill the bill admirably.
Posted Mar 12, 2018
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3.5/4
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Reefer Madness
(2005)
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Robert P. Laurence
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Somehow, all the parts fit together, and Reefer Madness, the musical, has turned out to be a lot more fun than its original source.
Posted Mar 12, 2018
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2/4
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The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story
(2004)
|
Robert P. Laurence
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Obviously produced on a shoestring, the film has an improvised, cheesy look.
Posted Mar 12, 2018
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3/5
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Redemption
(2004)
|
Robert P. Laurence
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Easily worthy of an Emmy nomination, it establishes Foxx as a serious actor to reckon with.
Posted Mar 12, 2018
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Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
(1977)
|
James Meade
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Star Wars is, indeed, a movie that dares to be different, not only in setting, but in theme at a time when imagination has surrendered to realism in motion pictures. If you don't enjoy Star Wars, you are not as young at heart as you think you are.
Posted Dec 12, 2017
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2.5/4
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Deepwater Horizon
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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It's certainly worthwhile to tell the story of these people, but you can't help but feel that there's something missing from the narrative. Because there is.
Posted Sep 30, 2016
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2.5/4
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The Magnificent Seven
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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No, this "Magnificent Seven" doesn't reinvent the wagon wheel, but it's not supposed to.
Posted Sep 23, 2016
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2.5/4
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Operation Avalanche
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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There's something about "Operation Avalanche" that feels somewhat unsatisfying when all is said and done. The idea is a good one, but the ending feels more standard than the beginning.
Posted Sep 23, 2016
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3.5/4
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Little Men
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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This is an utterly human movie, the sort of character-driven project that's harder and harder to find these days.
Posted Sep 08, 2016
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2.5/4
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Sully
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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It's a movie with problems, but it also leaves you feeling somewhat inspired, and reminds you that sometimes, still, people can come together and make the world a slightly better place.
Posted Sep 08, 2016
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2.5/4
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The Light Between Oceans
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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It's far too easy to become overwrought and syrupy, and while the new movie has a lot going for it, it does eventually succumb to those watery depths.
Posted Sep 01, 2016
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2.5/4
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Complete Unknown
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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Ambiguity in cinema is a rarity nowadays, and "Complete Unknown" squanders its commodity when all is said and done. But it's unique and different ...
Posted Sep 01, 2016
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2.5/4
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Hands of Stone
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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Make no mistake, this is no "Raging Bull." But it's a perfectly serviceable biopic and boxing movie whose cast says something about the social changes afoot in this nation.
Posted Aug 26, 2016
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3/4
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Southside With You
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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It's charming, sweet and smart, and it isn't loaded with destiny. Tanne, in his first feature, has found a way to make his point by barely making it at all.
Posted Aug 25, 2016
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3/4
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War Dogs
(2016)
|
Anders Wright
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Rather than being satirical, it's actually a movie that takes itself fairly seriously.
Posted Aug 18, 2016
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4/4
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Hell or High Water
(2016)
|
Anders Wright
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"Hell or High Water" is one of the most original, entertaining and intriguing films of 2016.
Posted Aug 12, 2016
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2.5/4
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Anthropoid
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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As is often the case with period pieces like this, the story itself is better than the execution.
Posted Aug 12, 2016
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3/4
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Equity
(2016)
|
Anders Wright
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All of the men in the movie are fairly one-dimensional. Which you could say is a bit of payback, since this is a movie about and by women.
Posted Aug 12, 2016
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2/4
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Suicide Squad
(2016)
|
Anders Wright
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The plotting, which initially seems intriguing, eventually collapses onto its own narrative petard, and the entire affair devolves into a rain-drenched slow-motion climax.
Posted Aug 04, 2016
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3/4
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Indignation
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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The movie has a nice, exquisite feel to it, as though you're watching something that is smart but delicate at the same time.
Posted Aug 04, 2016
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2.5/4
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Jason Bourne
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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Make no mistake, "Jason Bourne" is entertaining, but it's also fairly unmemorable, because the story it tells doesn't necessarily need to be told.
Posted Jul 29, 2016
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Phantom Boy
(2015)
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Anders Wright
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Its story might be all too familiar, and on the whole it doesn't carry a great deal of weight, but "Phantom Boy" has a real humanity to it that is often hard to find in today's cinematic offerings.
Posted Jul 29, 2016
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Ghostbusters
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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It's an imperfect movie, as most are, but "Ghostbusters" is undeniably entertaining. And there's something at the heart of Feig's movie that feels almost profound.
Posted Jul 19, 2016
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Hunt for the Wilderpeople
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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A charming coming-of-age film set in the New Zealand bush, complete with a company of quirky, mismatched characters.
Posted Jul 14, 2016
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2.5/4
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Zero Days
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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Though Stuxnet was introduced to the world in 2010, in many ways "Zero Days" could not be more timely ...
Posted Jul 08, 2016
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2.5/4
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The Secret Life of Pets
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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Yes, it's often very funny and frequently entertaining. However, "The Secret Life of Pets" doesn't have a great deal to say.
Posted Jul 07, 2016
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2.5/4
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Swiss Army Man
(2016)
|
Anders Wright
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It will come across as absurd and ridiculous to some, and deep and meaningful to others.
Posted Jun 30, 2016
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3.5/4
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The BFG
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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It's the sort of movie that assists children in experiencing new emotions and reminds adults what it was like to feel them.
Posted Jun 30, 2016
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2.5/4
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The Neon Demon
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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It would be easy to look at "The Neon Demon" and think that it is little more than style over substance, and there may be some validity to that notion. But even if it's the case, the style of the movie is extraordinary.
Posted Jun 24, 2016
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3/4
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Three
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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It's a slow burn that can only end in the sort of shockingly violent set piece To stages as well, if not better, than anyone else.
Posted Jun 24, 2016
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3/4
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De Palma
(2015)
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Anders Wright
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For those who have an interest in film as an art and cinema as a culture, "De Palma" is fairly riveting, a master class in filmmaking tied into a history of contemporary cinema, with an unexpectedly personal look into the life of De Palma himself.
Posted Jun 16, 2016
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2/4
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Genius
(2016)
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Anders Wright
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Despite the characters and the subject matter, the film is underwhelming, though Firth's acting is a masterwork of understatement.
Posted Jun 16, 2016
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2/4
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Puerto Ricans in Paris
(2015)
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Anders Wright
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The entire film feels like it could have been made for TV back in the '80s.
Posted Jun 10, 2016
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2.5/4
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Warcraft
(2016)
|
Anders Wright
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While it is visually very impressive, it doesn't soar as emotionally as Jones intended, which is necessary to be truly epic.
Posted Jun 10, 2016
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3/4
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Dheepan
(2015)
|
Anders Wright
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It puts a face on people around the world who will do anything for a better life.
Posted Jun 10, 2016
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3/4
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Weiner
(2016)
|
Anders Wright
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It's actually an eye-opening film, not because of Weiner's misdeeds but because anyone who watches it comes away with a degree of shame.
Posted Jun 03, 2016
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2.5/4
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Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
(2016)
|
Anders Wright
|
"Popstar" is frequently ingenious, and even though some of the humor is broad, profane and ridiculous, it also has a number of moments and lines of dialogue that are unexpectedly sublime.
Posted Jun 03, 2016
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3/4
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Elstree 1976
(2015)
|
Anders Wright
|
How many movies would inspire a documentary about its bit players, almost 40 years after its initial release? Very few, but "Star Wars" is certainly one of them.
Posted Jun 02, 2016
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2/4
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X-Men: Apocalypse
(2016)
|
Anders Wright
|
A disappointing, mediocre movie.
Posted May 26, 2016
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3.5/4
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The Lobster
(2015)
|
Anders Wright
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The sort of movie that makes you consider what the filmmaker is saying, as well as what the movie is actually about.
Posted May 26, 2016
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3/4
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Maggie's Plan
(2015)
|
Anders Wright
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Life in "Maggie's Plan" is terrifyingly unpredictable. Just like everyone's, which is what makes it so charming. Plan to see it.
Posted May 26, 2016
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3.5/4
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Love & Friendship
(2016)
|
Anders Wright
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It's a movie that is not just an achievement in its own right, but the sort that makes one reconsider all of Stillman's previous films.
Posted May 20, 2016
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2/4
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The Angry Birds Movie
(2016)
|
Anders Wright
|
"The Angry Birds Movie" is about as filling as the game itself, and has little to say other than friendship is good, pigs are bad, and angry payback is best of all.
Posted May 20, 2016
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The Nice Guys
(2016)
|
Anders Wright
|
It nicely captures the seediness of L.A. in the '70s , but, despite a very encouraging first act, it loses steam and gets bogged down in its own narrative.
Posted May 19, 2016
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2/4
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Money Monster
(2016)
|
Anders Wright
|
Try as it might to tap into such previous populist films as "Network" or perhaps more appropriately, "Dog Day Afternoon," it undercuts its own potential importance by being overly simplistic.
Posted May 12, 2016
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