I try to go into films wide open, hoping to love each one I see. I take no pleasure in ripping a movie to shreds, because the amount of work that goes into making them is staggering and no one intends to make a terrible film. Still, I wasn’t quite sold on “La La Land.” […]
Old Mill Stadium 16 & IMAX
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The Great Wall
“Fences” is an undisputed masterpiece
I had a pretty terrible stepfather growing up; a redneck cop who spent his free time encouraging me not to read, think or grow. When I moved out, I carried this weird mixture of fear and rage with me. I eventually grew up and tried to let it go. I barely think about him anymore, […]
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Losing Yourself
“Manchester by the Sea” is remarkable
Something terrible happened to Lee Chandler. When we first meet Lee he’s working as a handyman/janitor in Quincy, Mass. His interactions with customers are cordial and sometimes confrontational. When he gets the news that his older brother has suffered a heart attack, he rushes to the hospital 90 minutes away. The first thing he asks […]
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I Am With the Force, the Force is With Me
“Rogue One” puts the “Wars” into “Star Wars”
Trying to review a Star Wars movie is like breaking down the comfort level of your childhood teddy bear. Even though “Rogue One” tells a story with mostly new characters and exists outside of the typical Episode I-VII structure, it’s so deeply rooted in the Star Wars universe that nostalgia holds tightly to every frame. […]
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Deck the Hall with Booze and Cocaine
“Office Christmas Party” brings the laughs
Writing reviews of comedies is always a fickle mistress, because it basically comes down to describing very relative crap that makes you laugh. Another interesting aspect to think about is whether to hold comedies to the same standard as other movies in more serious genres. If a comedy succeeds in making you laugh then hasn’t […]
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Night Moves
“Nocturnal Animals” is a challenging work of art
The opening credits for “Nocturnal Animals” let the audience know exactly what they’re getting into. Slow motion shots of morbidly obese women grinding with American flags and sparklers as director (and designer) Tom Ford’s camera lingers on their eyes, pouty lips and massive flesh. Within seconds, my jaw dropped and remained that way for the […]
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Gods and Monsters
Disney strikes again with the lovely “Moana”
I sound like a broken record at this point, but I’ll say it again: Disney is having one hell of a year. Not just in terms of dollars at the box office, but creatively they have done some of their best work in years. While “Alice Through the Looking Glass” was rotten and “Queen of […]
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Hate Will Always Lose
“Loving” tells a timely story of our past
Richard and Mildred Loving didn’t set out to change the world. Richard’s days were mostly spent as a construction worker during the day, or on hot rods in his spare time. Mildred took care of their kids and kept the house. As their case became national news and ended up in the Supreme Court, they […]
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Black Lives Matter
Come bask in the moonlight
A small young boy is chased through a bad neighborhood of Liberty City, Miami, by a bunch of kids yelling “faggot.” He breaks into a room in an abandoned motel, puts his head on his knees and cries. His tears aren’t those of panic or fear, but of exhaustion. As if he knows that his […]
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Mr. and Mrs. Pitt: “Allied” is almost a classic
When looking at movies that are rightly considered modern classics, it’s easy to forget how some of them flopped commercially and critically when they were first released. Films like “Blade Runner,” “Brazil,” “Shawshank Redemption,” “Citizen Kane,” “Fight Club” and even “It’s a Wonderful Life” were met with audience disinterest and critical shrugs. A big reason […]