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Kidnapped
(2023)
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PJ Grisar
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The film is at its most unsettling, and damning, when the violence of Edgardo’s abduction gives way to the quieter trauma to his soul in the pristine halls of papal Rome.
Posted Oct 03, 2023
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Golda
(2023)
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PJ Grisar
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The force of Mirren’s performance as Israel’s fourth prime minister, imbued with anguished empathy and fierce composure under pressure, elevates an otherwise overbusy film.
Posted Aug 24, 2023
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D
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Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
(2022)
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Mira Fox
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The franchise has gone dark and self-serious, yet so unintelligible that any moral messaging has gone out the window...It’s impressive, honestly, to make an obvious Hitler figure so toothless.
Posted Aug 02, 2023
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A+
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Call Me by Your Name
(2017)
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Mira Fox
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Luca Guadagnino’s lush Italian masterpiece, “Call Me by Your Name,” is full of romantic subtleties: long lingering looks, brief touches, meaning-laden passages read aloud. But nothing is ever fully overt...
Posted Aug 02, 2023
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D+
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Sharp Stick
(2022)
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Mira Fox
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Beyond attempts to plumb the depths of Dunham’s psyche, it’s hard to figure out what to make of “Sharp Stick.” It’s visually stylized and compellingly strange, but it’s not clear what, exactly, it’s trying to challenge.
Posted Aug 02, 2023
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C-
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Stutz
(2022)
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Mira Fox
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Stutz has a strange amount of bravado for a therapist, talking frequently about his natural talent for therapy and the way ideas spontaneously come to him...especially with his invented vocabulary, he comes off more like a cult leader than a therapist.
Posted Aug 02, 2023
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A
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Where Life Begins
(2022)
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Mira Fox
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This delicacy makes Where Life Begins feel like a standout among contemporary portrayals of Hasidism...in Where Life Begins, you can’t help but feel the sanctity of Hasidic life when it’s set against lingering shots of the stunning Italian countryside.
Posted Aug 02, 2023
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B
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Alegría
(2021)
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Mira Fox
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Melilla comes to life in Salama’s hands, the city itself becoming the most compelling character in the film...in the small, human moments, Alegría shines — just as the small, human moments keep Melilla balanced.
Posted Aug 02, 2023
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A-
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Israelism
(2023)
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Mira Fox
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Unlike many other documentaries about Israel, Israelism isn’t about the conflict, or at least not exactly. Instead, it considers how American Jewish institutions position Israel, valorizing the IDF and leaving out the darker side of the occupation.
Posted Aug 02, 2023
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B
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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
(2023)
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Mira Fox
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Not much has changed for Indiana Jones. Admittedly, the relic in question is more niche than the Ark or the Holy Grail — but otherwise, The Dial of Destiny is right in the mold of every other Indiana Jones installment, a swashbuckling adventure film.
Posted Aug 02, 2023
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Bawaal
(2023)
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Mira Fox
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Bollywood is far from the only place where the Holocaust is used as a sort of morality play...while it’s bad that the movie glosses over and distorts history, it is far from the only piece of media to use the Holocaust as a plot device.
Posted Aug 02, 2023
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Those Who Remained
(2019)
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Simi Horwitz
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An achingly complex love story that embodies a father daughter relationship and a deep bonding friendship between two lost souls whose suppressed and silent interactions resonate powerfully.
Posted Aug 02, 2023
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Tiger Within
(2020)
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Simi Horwitz
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Short of the late Ed Asner's nuanced, haunting, indeed memorable performance, "The Tiger Within" is predictable, awash in stereotypes, devoid of original insight, and the ending is, well, just plain implausible.
Posted Jul 28, 2023
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Stan Lee
(2023)
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PJ Grisar
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The film is so eager to flatter Lee by presenting him as he saw himself that it misses the distinctly ethnic discomfort and context that birthed the World of Marvel.
Posted Jul 26, 2023
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The Trial of the Chicago 7
(2020)
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PJ Grisar
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Sorkin strains to abbreviate that long arc of the moral universe, flexing it toward justice through the sheer force of sophistry and righteous indignation.
Posted Jul 26, 2023
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Uncut Gems
(2019)
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PJ Grisar
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While we shake our heads over Ratner’s judgment, it’s hard not to relate to his ambition to bet everything on some malformed vision of the American dream.
Posted Jul 26, 2023
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Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
(2020)
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PJ Grisar
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Unlike its predecessor, this “Borat” leans less on shock value and succeeds in storytelling, solid gags and a more arresting character arc for Borat and his charge in their “Paper Moon”-like tour of the country.
Posted Jul 26, 2023
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Pieces of a Woman
(2020)
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PJ Grisar
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“Pieces of a Woman” doesn’t forsake memory, but questions its proper place in the lives of the second generation.
Posted Jul 26, 2023
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The Flowers of Yesterday
(2016)
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Deborah Krieger
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Adèle Haenel's performance as Zazie is a tour de force... Zazie is complex and, at times, opaque enough that following her rather than Toto would have provided an overall richer experience.
Posted Jul 31, 2018
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Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
(2017)
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Deborah Krieger
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This documentary of actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr is engaging and poignant, expanding the view (and our understanding) of the famously beautiful Hollywood star.
Posted Jul 31, 2018
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Humor Me
(2017)
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Deborah Krieger
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Ultimately, the lightness and sincerity brought to Humor Me makes it worth catching.
Posted Jul 31, 2018
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The Testament
(2017)
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Deborah Krieger
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The success of the The Testament rests on Ori's performance as Yoel, and in many cases, it works splendidly.
Posted Jul 31, 2018
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Cloudy Sunday
(2015)
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Deborah Krieger
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A powerful, melancholy text that has important implications for contemporary struggles.
Posted Jul 31, 2018
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