Hell hath no fury… Scorned women abound in a darkly comic period piece about Anne, Queen of Great Britain (with Olivia Colman, a shoo-in for the Oscar win) and her closest confidante, Sarah, the Duchess of Marlborough (a chilling Rachel Weisz). But really, “The Favourite” is about best friends Anne and Sarah, and the woman […]
Film
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The Changing of the Old, White Guard
Oscars not as white; still quite male
I’m not sure if you noticed, but the Oscars are more interesting now than ever before. In 2012, The New York Times did a study on the demographic breakdown of voters among the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, with all 5,100+ members questioned. At 94 percent white, 77 percent male and 54 percent […]
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We Could Be Heroes
“Glass” finds the extraordinary in the ordinary
I‘m not sure there will be a weirder studio movie this year than M. Night Shyamalan’s “Glass.” One viewing doesn’t seem like remotely enough to get to the bottom of the deeply strange little movie that acts as a sequel to not only 2016’s surprise hit “Split,” but also 2000’s financial failure “Unbreakable.” Not too […]
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May the Source Be with You
New year edition
Holy heck, everyone! Another year has come and gone and here we are to share it with one another. It’s 2019, which is the year “Blade Runner” took place, so I guess we’re lucky we don’t live in a dystopian nightmare, but we also don’t have flying cars which is somewhat of a disappointment. Podcasts […]
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Almost a Movie
Escape Room Does the Unforgivable
Every January, the studios frontload the movies they think are either hot garbage or that won’t make them any money. Usually, that first week of the new year gives us the worst horror and action movies we’ll see for the next 12 months. Every once in a while a great little movie will sneak in […]
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Dawn Wall is a Delight for Doc Lovers
Friday screening is free for BendFilm members
Anyone who loves documentary films knows this: the subject doesn’t really matter. The heart of a great documentary transcends its subject, and “The Dawn Wall” is no exception. BendFilm is bringing this film back to The Tower Theatre on Jan. 11, and it’s free for BendFilm members. “The Dawn Wall” tells the story of Tommy […]
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More Than Meets the Eye
Bumblebee has heart AND explosions
Have we reached a place in society where we can admit the “Transformers” movies are garbage? Look, each one of the five (FIVE?!?) movies has something to offer, whether it’s watching Shia LaBEEEF slowly losing his mind on camera, T.J. Miller getting burned to ashes in the fourth one, Chicago getting systematically destroyed in the […]
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He Sleeps with the Fishes
Aquaman is unfathomable
Jason Momoa was always seen as an interesting choice to play Aquaman. He’s obviously not the blonde haired, blue-eyed Arthur Curry we’ve been seeing in comic books for over 50 years— which is a nice change from Hollywood’s typical whitewashing habits. He’s also pretty damn masculine compared to the lil’ green codpiece-sporting super friend that […]
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Top 10 Movies (and Other Stuff) of 2018
‘Twas Another Fine Year
Here we are again. Another end of the year list and the end of a pretty phenomenal year for film. Normally, it’s pretty easy for me to select a top 10, but this year I had around 25 in my list and it was like telling my kids they were ugly each time I eliminated […]
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Almost Practically Perfect in Every Way
In a world where new movies are just sequels and book adaptations, Mary Poppins Returns is… both?
In a world where new movies are just sequels and book adaptations, Mary Poppins Returns is… both? The fun loving, magical somewhat of a narcissistic nanny, Mary Poppins, takes flight again in “Mary Poppins Returns.” Mary, played by Emily Blunt, yet again comes to the Banks house to help an overworked father find the importance […]
