Tag Archives: movies

Documentary Review: An Environmental/Farm Economy Parable from Macedonia — “The Tale of Silyan”

An ancient parable is remembered and acted-out in modern day Macedonia in “The Tale of Silyan,” the latest documentary from the director of the Oscar-nominated “Honeyland.” Writer-director Tamara Kotesvka documents the collapse of her country’s small farm economy and sees … Continue reading

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Movie Review: What Makes “Marty Supreme?”

New York filmmaker Josh Safdie has his fans, and I’ve been one of them at times. At other times? Not so much. He does underbelly-of-the-city stories well. “Good Time” was something of a reinvention of the possibilities of Robert Pattinson. … Continue reading

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Movie Review: “Song Sung Blue” Weepin’ in My Popcorn

Sing-along songs are musical comfort food, and any songsmith, singer or singer-songwriter can count him or herself lucky if they stumble into one in the course of a career. Musical biographies are the cinema’s equivalent of such comfort food, and … Continue reading

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Movie Review: Black and Rudd & Co. Learn You Can’t Go “Anaconda” Again

Three movie stars who have been funny in their pre-dad-bod past and Thandiwe Newton — who’s rarely been called to land laughs — shipped off to Australia to make an action comedy about a supersized snake in the Amazon, a … Continue reading

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Movie Review: Kirby Howell-Baptiste is our Tour Guide among “We Strangers”

A hint of the inscrutable can do service to any film in any genre, and it pays off some surprising ways in “We Strangers,” an oddball domestic dramedy about a “domestic” and the dizzy white folks who hire her. Veteran … Continue reading

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Classic Film Review: “Detour” (1945), still as Noir as Film Noir Gets

“That’s life,” the anti-hero of “Detour” growls in voice-over. “Whichever way you turn, fate sticks out a foot to trip you.” Hardboiled, archetype-upending and gorgeous in its bare-bones minimalism, “Detour” is quintessential film noir. “The Maltese Falcon” preceded it and … Continue reading

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Netflixable? Koreans face Doomsday — “The Great Flood”

Preppers, survivalists, Rapture fans and doomsday cultists may get a kick out of “The Great Flood,” a downbeat-to-the-point-of-bleak thriller about the End of Human Civilization. A young Korean mother (Kim Da-Mi) carries her six year-old (Kwon Eun-sung) up several flights … Continue reading

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Movie Review: “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and Dazzling Tedium

James Cameron was very much running out of interesting things to say and show in his “Avatar” franchise with the second movie, “Avatar: The Way of Water.” The third film, “Avatar: Fire and Ash” confirms that fear and adds on … Continue reading

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Classic Film Review: Lost in the Lush Longueurs of “Paris, Texas”(1984)

One has learned to temper one’s expectations when settling in to watch any Palme d’Or winner from the Cannes Film Festival over the years. One has. A “best picture” honor selected by an ever-changing jury of filmmaking peers from all … Continue reading

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Movie Review: Mexico’s Oscar hope — “We Shall Not be Moved (No nos moverán)”

Dostoyevsky’s obsession with the unpunished murderers walking among us weighs heavily on the politics of the present. Criminals whose crimes against people, nations and the rule of law are committed in plain sight or proven in court roam free. People … Continue reading

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