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Dream Scenario
(2023)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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The strong setup is well served by Cage, who plays the self-serving, petty-yet-likeable protagonist flawlessly.
Posted Nov 17, 2023
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3/5
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Rustin
(2023)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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As Rustin, Colman Domingo delivers the performance of his career. Known for flashy supporting roles in Euphoria and Fear the Walking Dead, Domingo captures the effervescence of Rustin without leaning on mannerisms or mimicry.
Posted Nov 16, 2023
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2.5/5
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Pain Hustlers
(2023)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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While the top half of Pain Hustlers is illuminating, the story falters by trying to make the lead character sympathetic.
Posted Oct 27, 2023
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3.5/5
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The Holdovers
(2023)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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It’s a delightful experience overall (sharp dialogue, beautiful performances), even if there isn’t anything in The Holdovers we haven’t seen in previous Alexander Payne movies.
Posted Oct 27, 2023
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3.5/5
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When Evil Lurks
(2023)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Director Demián Rugna does a superb job combining unpleasant makeup and prosthetics, an ever-present sense of dread and disturbing imagery.
Posted Oct 12, 2023
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3.5/5
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The Pigeon Tunnel
(2023)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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While the top half of the film is tight and enthralling, the second half can’t sustain such high level and comes apart at the seams. Still, it’s among the better Errol Morris docs, not a small feat.
Posted Oct 12, 2023
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4/5
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Killers of the Flower Moon
(2023)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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The film features many industry veterans at the top of their game. DiCaprio and DeNiro are never better than under Scorsese’s command.
Posted Oct 12, 2023
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2.5/5
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Strange Way of Life
(2023)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Strange Way of Life not only coasts on the Spanish auteur’s past work, but on Brokeback Mountain and the Saint Laurent fashion brand.
Posted Sep 28, 2023
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3.5/5
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Fair Play
(2023)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Written and directed by Chloe Domont, and inspired by her own experiences as an up-and-coming filmmaker, Fair Play works well as a relationship drama, an erotic thriller, and as high finance intrigue. It’s also tremendously insightful.
Posted Sep 28, 2023
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3.5/5
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Dreamin' Wild
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Polhad finds the pathos in all the main players and shows how they feed into each other. The conflict in Dreamin’ Wild stems from good yet flawed people trying to do the right thing in circumstances very few have encountered.
Posted Aug 31, 2023
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2.5/5
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Iron Butterflies
(2023)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Because I strongly believe docs have a place on the big screen, it brings me no joy to tell you this one isn’t great.
Posted Aug 31, 2023
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4/5
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The Beasts
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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The Beasts trades on topics so current it feels like watching the news. While not quite a re-enactment, this superb thriller takes inspiration from oh-so-many immigrants who find themselves at the receiving end of the locals’ misplaced anger.
Posted Aug 31, 2023
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3.5/5
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Passages
(2023)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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None of this would work without a forceful leading man. Rogowski is straight-up magnetic. The worse Tomas behaves, the more compelling it gets.
Posted Aug 03, 2023
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3.5/5
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Shortcomings
(2023)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Despite a slightly stilted, dialogue-heavy approach, Park has a knack for fully developed characters. All together, it bodes well for his future -- and the future of meaningful representation in film.
Posted Aug 03, 2023
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2/5
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God Is a Bullet
(2023)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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For a movie that aims for gritty realism, there are plenty of artistic flourishes and hardboiled dialogue that undermine the effort.
Posted Jul 12, 2023
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3.5/5
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Sick of Myself
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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It may not be everybody’s cup of tea but one must admire the chutzpah of making a relentless movie about two awful people.
Posted Jun 08, 2023
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2.5/5
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Dalíland
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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If you want to acquire some passing knowledge of Dalí, you could do worse than Daliland. But for something deeper, try an art museum.
Posted Jun 07, 2023
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3/5
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You Hurt My Feelings
(2023)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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You Hurt My Feelings is an adult comedy about relationships -- the kind of movie you rarely see at the multiplex anymore.
Posted May 24, 2023
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3.5/5
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You Can Live Forever
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Because the film is gunning for realism, a conventional ending isn’t in the cards. But it’s satisfactory all the same. Without spoiling it, it speaks of listening to yourself before buying into anyone else’s creed.
Posted May 24, 2023
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3/5
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Master Gardener
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Master Gardener is worth watching on the strength of the ingredients.
Posted May 24, 2023
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3/5
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Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
(2023)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Even though the fresh material is limited, the documentary leaves us with a more genuine portrait of the actor.
Posted May 12, 2023
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3/5
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What's Love Got to Do with It?
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Directed by Shekhar Kapur, the movie is at its best when dealing with issues of cultural difference.
Posted May 12, 2023
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4/5
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How to Blow Up a Pipeline
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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You know a movie is worth its salt when it makes all the right people angry.
Posted Apr 13, 2023
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2/5
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Champions
(2023)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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A defanged version of the Farrellys’ better movies, Champions is so focused on doing the right thing the comedy is sorely lacking.
Posted Mar 16, 2023
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4.5/5
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EO
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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In short, the best 90 minutes you’ll spend on your couch or at a movie theatre this early in the year, hands-down.
Posted Mar 16, 2023
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2.5/5
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Sharper
(2023)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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If you’ve seen enough thrillers of this type, you can tell the characters’ designs well in advance (there are only so many possible combinations).
Posted Feb 16, 2023
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2/5
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Marlowe
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Marlowe has the gall to suggest this could be the start of a franchise a la Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot. Could have been a good idea, but not like this.
Posted Feb 16, 2023
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4.5/5
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Living
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Hermanus doesn’t mess with his source in Living (Kurosawa’s Ikiru). But the film does such a good job transplanting the script to mid-20th century London it feels new again. In a rare starring role, Bill Nighy knocks it out of the park as Mr. Williams.
Posted Jan 12, 2023
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2.5/5
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Guitar Lessons
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Overall, Guitar Lessons fails to come together, particularly the more dramatic second half. But it has enough small victories to be worth your time.
Posted Jan 12, 2023
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2.5/5
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Empire of Light
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Empire of Light frames visiting your local cinema as an activity of yesteryear. That’s the problem with exploiting nostalgia: it’s filling, but ultimately has no nutritional value and can backfire easily.
Posted Dec 16, 2022
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3.5/5
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Avatar: The Way of Water
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Cameron uses his skills as action director to great effect, particularly in a balls-out third act. Sure, he takes a full hour to set the stage, but there are a couple of emotional payoffs later in the film that justify the initial slog.
Posted Dec 16, 2022
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4/5
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The Fabelmans
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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The Fabelmans is a love letter to cinema, both the craftsmanship and the act of experiencing moving pictures as part of a community.
Posted Nov 11, 2022
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3.5/5
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Decision to Leave
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Park Chan-wook is not an obtuse, inscrutable filmmaker but he doesn’t make it easy for viewers, either. His ending will launch a hundred theories. Alas, there is a correct answer -- if you’ve been paying attention, that is.
Posted Nov 10, 2022
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4.5/5
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The Banshees of Inisherin
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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I would venture The Banshees of Inisherin is McDonagh’s best work
Posted Oct 27, 2022
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4/5
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Argentina, 1985
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Argentina, 1985 works as an indictment of societies willing to look the other way when political violence is carried out against opponents, and a reminder of the importance of checks and balances in government institutions.
Posted Oct 27, 2022
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2/5
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The Good Nurse
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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A flaccid thriller devoid of any sense of dread or fun.
Posted Oct 27, 2022
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1/5
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V/H/S/99
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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V/H/S/99 is abysmal.
Posted Oct 20, 2022
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3.5/5
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Scrap
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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A gorgeous, warm travelogue by first-time feature filmmaker Stacey Tenenbaum, the doc chronicles what happens with metal when it’s no longer of use -- at least, to those without imagination.
Posted Oct 14, 2022
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3.5/5
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Triangle of Sadness
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Triangle of Sadness amounts to a good time at the movies (never mind the excessive 149-minute length). Just don’t expect a Karl Marx-calibre critique of capitalism. The film just makes fun of its many excesses and absurdities.
Posted Oct 14, 2022
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2.5/5
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Blonde
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Blonde feels like a lost opportunity, given the largesse of the canvas and a performer who strikes all the right notes.
Posted Sep 30, 2022
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2.5/5
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Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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In trying to walk the line between satire and drama, Honk for Jesus rings hollow, like a pastor going through the motions for a quick buck.
Posted Aug 25, 2022
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2/5
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Low Life
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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The very unlikeable Benny is another demerit. If the lead is unlikeable, at least make them interesting. This guy is just a bully without the courage of his own convictions. Like most bullies.
Posted Aug 25, 2022
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3/5
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Nope
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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I'm here to tell you Nope is interesting. Its combination of appealing ingredients fails to come together in a meaningful form, but it's a nice change from the usual big screen stuff.
Posted Jul 28, 2022
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3/5
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Thirteen Lives
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Thirteen Lives does a superb job recreating the claustrophobic conditions inside the labyrinth-like cave.
Posted Jul 28, 2022
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3.5/5
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Resurrection
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Resurrection does a superb job depicting predatory behaviour and the brainwashing of an otherwise rational person.
Posted Jul 28, 2022
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3.5/5
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Official Competition
(2021)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Sharply written and consistently funny, Official Competition (horrible title, by the way) may be a notch too acerbic for casual moviegoers. But for those of us who read the trades and know an actor or two, it’s catnip.
Posted Jun 30, 2022
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3/5
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Dual
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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I won’t give Dual a free pass because it doesn’t develop the ideas it introduces well enough. But if your faith in humankind has taken a beating in the last few weeks, some dyspeptic laughs at the expense of the human condition might feel just right.
Posted Jun 30, 2022
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3/5
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The Righteous
(2021)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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While the acting is top notch and the dialogue crackles, The Righteous is a very dour affair. Either you settle into the pew or you don’t, but the movie isn’t going to make it comfortable.
Posted Jun 09, 2022
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4.5/5
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Vortex
(2021)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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At two hours 22 minutes, Vortex is a hefty proposition. As usual with Noé you have to put up with a cumbersome setup. But if you go to the theatre for nutrition, not fun, Vortex is unmissable.
Posted May 26, 2022
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3.5/5
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Men
(2022)
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Jorge Ignacio Castillo
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Garland takes this idea and runs with it, at least for two-thirds of the film. Effective scares are accentuated by the already charged environment.
Posted May 26, 2022
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