This documentary made me angry. But it didn’t ground me. I have since flown Lion Air 737s out of Jakarta
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We Tested Streaming Services for Indies, International & Docs
The Pandemic Turned Us Into Sofa Cinephiles. These Boutique Streamers Are Right On Time
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‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ | Ignore the Haters
It’s a great example of what it is, even if it’s not a good model of what it isn’t trying to be – the 1974 original
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‘CODA’ Oscar Nominee Returning with FREE Tickets
Apple Original Films is Re-Releasing ‘CODA’ in Theaters with Free Tickets, while supplies last. It’s a lovely movie.
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‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ Season 4 | I Hate This Review
Are we still interested? I am. I was. But as season 4 kicks off where we left off, everything’s a bummer.
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‘HELP’ Review | Promising Thriller in Need of Aid
Stylish and populated by a cast of beautiful actors, this would-be Thriller comes out of the box strong and intriguing before falling apart in the last act
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‘Blues on Beale’ Review | This Film Makes Your Ears Happy
In ‘Blues on Beale,’ you’ll see and hear enough to lift you ten feet off the ground, if you’re a fan – and just enough to draw you in if you’re not.
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The Envelope, Please. Here are the Oscar Nominations, Snubs and Surprises
For anyone who thought that 2021 wouldn’t yield many great movies because of the pandemic and all, these Academy Award nominations will quickly school them. It was actually a great year – many, many top notch films did NOT get nominated today. Hey, there are only a few slots available,…
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‘Worst to First: the True Story of Z100 New York’ | the Underdogs Win!
We all love Rocky stories, David and Goliath, Shaggy dog, etc. This doc is one of those.
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‘Bite Me’| Horror/Comedy is Kinda Neither, Maybe That’s Not Bad
Whatever its faults may be, the one thing I was worried about was that it would be wacky. It’s not, thank goodness
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‘Exorcist Vengeance’ Horror Review-Speak of the Bloody Devil
Are you up for watching a Charles Bronson Look-Alike, a veteran of-B Movies, kicking some evil butt? Hell, yes!
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‘The Long Night’ Horror Review | Don’t Cross These Cultists
It’s not just a home invasion flick, it turns out there’s a point. The reveal will let us know why the character is fulfilling an ancient prophecy.
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‘The Other Me’ Review | Weird in a David Lynch Way
I can’t honestly say I always knew what the hell was going on in this movie. But I always wanted to know, and that means that something was going right.
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‘Slapface’ Horror Review: Bully this Kid at Your Peril
Surprisingly emotional and less graphic than most within the genre, it nevertheless keep us watching, even if the monster is little seen.
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‘Reacher’ Review: Binge-Worthy Series Mixes Mystery, Action
A wholesome hero kicks more butt than Bruce Lee, and kills more bad guys than The Punisher. The action is worth the watch.
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‘Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster’: Scary Good
Not just for Classic Horror fans, the film serves as a great Hollywood behind the scenes pic, too.
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‘Confession’ Review: Twisty Thriller Starts Off Super Strong
Twisty thriller has a killer first act and many unforeseen reveals, but gets too talky and slows down its pace before all is done.
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‘Ozark’ Ratchets Up the Stakes and Tension for Final Season
These people are so normal and relatable, except for all the lying, cheating, stealing, and killing. But we root for them. Now more than ever.
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‘The Last Thing Mary Saw’ Horror Review | 3 out of 4 Stars
I like when movies start in the present and then flash back to reveal how we got here. It tends to amp up one’s curiosity.
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‘Riverdance: The Animated Adventure’ Review | Step Away From It
The color palette is attractive and the music is the official stuff, but the trip is too trippy, the dance sequences too frequent.
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The Tragedy of Macbeth Review | Not Bored by the Bard
It took this Texas Rube a Minute to Embrace Shakespeare Back in the Day. Give it a Try, You’ll Love it!
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Thriller Review: ‘Old Strangers’ | Old Plot, New Context
It’s an all too familiar framework, but the film might be the most current thriller out there, with it’s Covid pandemic era setting.
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‘Cyrano’ Review | This Adaptation ‘Nose” What It’s Doing
A new take on an oft adapted story. Peter Dinklage and Haley Bennett will break your heart.
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‘For the Sake of Vicious’ Horror/Thriller Review | Good Gore!
Yet another Home Invasion set up, but this one features a strong female lead and an orgy of graphic violence, which is good news for some of us.
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‘See For Me’ Review | Home Invasion Thriller with New Twists
The Home Invasion genre is well-worn at this point – and using main characters with disabilities is overly familiar. But this one brings new twists
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‘The Murders at Starved Rock’ |True Crime Docuseries Review
It looks like another “false confession” doc, but it ends up being about much more and examines the very nature of truth and memory.
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The Best (and the rest) Animated Films of 2021
The big animation studios were keen to finally “get out there” after the long Covid pause.
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The Best Films of 2021 | Big Movies, Small Screens
A year of big movies on small screens and small movies that finally got theatrical releases. Here are my Top Ten films of 2021.
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‘The Rise and fall of LulaRoe’ Review | Material Witnesses
Maybe this doc doesn’t have serial killers, but it is as True Crime as you can get.
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The Best Documentaries of 2021 | Music, Crime, Sports & More.
This was maybe the best year ever for docs. This is the Golden Age. People are getting better at making them and streaming platforms have given them new life.
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Don’t Miss Current Indies!|FLEE -French Dispatch -The Novice
Most of them are not popcorn pics. They are more thoughtful, more artful, and often go unseen by large audiences. Let’s help change that!
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‘Red Rocket’ Review | Losers’ Lives Are Cinematic, Too
It will be a shame if more moviegoers don’t see this film just because it’s “Indie” or “Art House,” because it’s excellent.
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‘Mr. Saturday Night’ Doc | Facts Behind the Fever
Now with age and what little wisdom that imparted, I can see the musical artistry within Disco. This doc makes a solid case for that revelation.
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‘Don’t Look Up’ Review | It’s Not the End of the World
Yeah, there are some laughs, I recommend viewing the trailer below to get a feel for the brand of humor. The performances are played straight, as they should be.
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‘West Side Story’ Review | Spielberg Elevates a Classic
It starts with the songs and the singers who voice them. Everything else is icing. In Broadway’s history, these songs, as a group, are the best.
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‘Being the Ricardos’ Review | You’ll Love Lucy
She’s not doing the sitcom “Waaaah” Lucy. Not much, anyway. Nope, she’s doing the two packs of Chesterfields a day, behind the scenes, Lucy.
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‘Benedetta’ Review | The Naked Truth?
It’s set in 1625, but Benedetta feels very much like a 1970s film: it’s political, anti-establishment, and thoughtful and, oh yeah, there’s plentiful nudity.
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‘The Power of the Dog’ with Benedict Cumberbatch | 3 ½ out of 4 Stars
It gets such good press because we see 100-300 films a year, most of them identical. When something with a unique vibe arrives? It’s why we do this.
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‘Red Pill’ Horror Review | Tough to Swallow
“weaponization of whiteness” is, indeed, a very real form of terror, her realization of the concept onscreen doesn’t quite get there.
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‘Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road’ | The Maestro’s Swan Song?
The new recording studio footage shows the normally shuffling, mumbling genius in his element and in command.
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‘The Unforgivable’ with Sandra Bullock, Forgettable|2 Stars
Hard to believe two Oscar-winners and an amazing cast could all be so underutilized, but it happens. You just have to forgive and move on.
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‘Listening to Kenny G’ Doc |Even the Haters Will Smile
75 million records sold is its own brand of protective underwear. Michael Bolton and Nickelback have pairs just like it.
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Review: ‘Spencer’ with Kristen Stewart | 2 Out of 4 Stars
With all credit due to a ballsy concept, a stellar cast, and Stewart’s good, but totally over-hyped performance, I was mostly bored.
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Unpopular Opinion: ‘King Richard’ with Will Smith is Good, Not Great
Smith always generates so much warmth and goodwill that you tend to give his films more latitude. King Richard is not even among his top 5 roles or films.
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Nicolas Cage is the Least Weird Part of this Freaky Fun Film
Gleefully weird and unabashedly artsy-fartsy, Nicolas Cage is the least strange element of a fun to watch hybrid from Japanese director .
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‘Jagged’ Review | Alanis Morissette Looks Back in Revealing Doc
Now a Mom in her late 40s with a cogent perspective on a 21 year old conquering the world and lighting the fuse to an explosive cultural phenomenon
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Review: ‘Ankle Biters’ | Can Comedy and Horror Co-Exist?
Comedy Horror. It’s either funny but not scary or, like this current release, it’s got some good gore and suspense, but isn’t the least bit funny.
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‘The Pebble and the Boy’ Review | British Dramedy A Nice Ride
Gentle and sweet-natured, this British road movie may lack high highs and low lows, but it rolls along with a charming cast and some third act twists.
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‘A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks’ | Great Stories from Behind the Lens
You know so many of his iconic photos, and now you’ll hear the stories behind them, and see why he’s the inspiration for photojournalists today
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Watch New Tom Petty Documentary Here – Free & Full-Length
It took quite a while to secure a distributor, but I think it was worth the wait, because it is now accessible worldwide for FREE! You can watch it now
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‘The Next Thing You Eat’ | Fun, Funny and Informative Series Satisfies
The new series looks at food in super interesting ways and takes it from angles I have never seen before on a show
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‘Passing’ | Every Frame Gorgeous, Every Performance Moving
Remember the names of these three women- you’ll be hearing them mentioned a lot as we head into awards season.
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‘That Cold Dead Look in Your Eyes’ Confusing,Yes. Boring,No.
Sometimes you don’t know that you didn’t like a movie until it has ended- it’s much worse to realize you don’t like a movie before it has ended.
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‘The Harder They Fall’ Review | A Certain Best Picture Contender
This all Black Western continues film history’s thread of hyper-violent Cowboy flicks. For many reasons, it is one of 2021’s best movie viewing experiences.
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‘Dead & Beautiful’ | Sexy, Stylish Take on the Vamp Genre
A group of rich twenty-somethings who go to elaborate lengths to amuse themselves, may have bitten off more than they can chew.
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‘Fairfax’ Animated Series Review | Kids These Days!
It’s sometimes hard to discern whether the series is satirizing its own subjects, or if “IRL” kids like these are the target audience. I think probably both.
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‘Four Hours at the Capitol’|Just the Sickening Facts
Oh, have I said anything political so far? If you think I have, it’s because you’re watching one of those aforementioned channels. Watch this instead.
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Review:’Val’ Captures The Rise, Fall & Resurrection of Kilmer
Val is a weird dude. But Val shows us that there’s an important place for weird in his world. Go big or go home.
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Review: ‘Dopesick’ An Epic Account of the Opioid Crises with Michael Keaton
It is not an insult to say that it plays like a Prime Time drama, and I think it should be viewed as such. It’s not really a binge watch.
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Review: ‘Fever Dream’ | Famed Novel Now A Cool & Trippy Film
If you like to re-watch movies to see what you missed the first time, Fever Dream will have you hitting repeat when the credits roll.
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Review: ‘YOU’ Season 3| Desperate Housewives & Mr. Mom
YOU has already been renewed for a 4th season – so no matter what you think of season 3’s final episode, it’s not the last you’ll see of this series.
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True Crime Review: ‘The Phantom’ Pulse-Pounder Exposes Truth
Police quickly found their suspect. It was all so easy. Too easy.
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Review: ’15 Minutes of Shame’ Examines All Sides of Public Shaming | 4 Stars
Engrossing Doc Looks at All Sides of Public Shaming and Cancel Culture – The good, the Bad and the ugly.
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Movie Review: ‘American Night’ Makes for a Long Evening
We learn it will be told in three parts, but by the end of the second part, and realizing there’s still a half hour to go, one gives up on it getting better
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Review: ‘Falling for Figaro’ Harmlessly Hums a Familiar Tune
While I cannot recommend it as a good film, I can say that it will be a good enough film for the right viewer at the right time. Yes, Mom, I am talking to you.
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‘The Nowhere Inn’ | St. Vincent and Carrie Brownstein Are Screwing With Me-Right?
I don’t use drugs, but as I watched The Nowhere Inn, I kept asking myself, “Am I high?” What’s going on? Is this a midnight movie from 1979?
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‘Goliath’ Final Season | Billy Bob’s Farewell 3 ½ out of 4 Stars
He’s taken down more bad guys than a Marvel superhero; all while chain-smoking butts and making bad decisions.
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Review: ‘Midnight Mass’ More Thoughtful Than Your Average Horror Series
It takes a long time to get where it’s going, but ultimately delivers a thoughtful, deeply felt narrative that has its share of blood and a couple of scares.
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Review: ‘Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror
Kids entering college this month weren’t even born before September 11, 2001. This series goes beyond those horrific images that may be their only reference.
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Review” ‘Death Drop Gorgeous’ | Killer Camp or Comedic Drag?
The good news for Horror fans? There are some great over-the-top, so graphic as to be comical – but inventive, creatively admirable kills.
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Review: ‘The Sparks Brothers’| Perfect Doc for Music Nerds
I am from the generation who sat on the floor, wearing headphones the size of cinder blocks, reading all the liner notes. Why don’t I remember Sparks?
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Review: ‘The Madness Inside Me’ | Twisty Thriller
It looks at first like a run-of-the-mill revenge flick, but twisty plot points keep this genre film intriguing, if not always credible.
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Review: ‘ROADRUNNER: A Film About Anthony Bourdain’
Mixed Emotions: It isn’t 100% the film I wanted it to be, but it is 100% watchable the whole time. And it is moving
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‘My Childhood, My Country: 20 Years in Afghanistan’ | Powerful and Touching
He says today that he has never had a happy life and, in the same breath, that he is ever hopeful that his country will somehow pull through.
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Review: ‘When I’m a Moth’|Fictionalized Hillary Tale a Snoozer
These people have balls. Huge balls. They have wrought a film that is one long, steady, navel -gaze. I just checked my own bellybutton, just as a reflex
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Review: ‘The Colony’ | So-So Sci-Fi | 2 ½ out of 4 Stars
Cool looking and great production values, but never quite gets our full emotional involvement, But I’m not mad at it.
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Review: Not All The Clouds Are Happy in New Bob Ross Documentary
I was afraid that the film was going to end up revealing that Ross wasn’t the mensch he seemed to be, but, no- he really was a good dude.
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Review: ‘Homeroom’ Follows High Schoolers in a Tumultuous Year
Those who think that Millennial/Generation Z kids are empty vessels more interested in TikTok than social issues will be surprised
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Review: “Jakob’s Wife” is Bloody Fun | 3 out of 4 Stars
Maybe the first Vampire movie I’ve seen that deftly mixes a sitcom vibe with moments of blood spewing like an angry geyser…or a SNL sketch.
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Movie Review: “Habit” Tries for Tarantino, Ends Up with Nun
The audience probably is Tik-Tokers, so it’s possible that the short run time and superficial flash will land some fans among a very specific demographic.
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Review:’In the Same Breath’|Intense, Emotional Wuhan Origins
The story is powerful and infuriating. The storytelling is skillful, artful and humane.
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Documentary Review: ‘Last Call: The Shutdown of NYC Bars’
This snapshot evokes empathy from the viewer and, just maybe, helps people like those in this film, feel less alone.
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Review: ‘Misha and the Wolves’| Riveting Doc Gets to the Truth of the Story
Some stories too good to be true. But, oh, how we want to believe what we want to believe. We are living in a time where that has never been more apparent.
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‘Untold’ Episode 1: A Deep Dive into an Ugly Night
I have always maintained that the subject matter of a great doc is not the most important element. Nope, it’s not the story as much as it’s the storytelling.
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Review:“Shiny_Flakes: The Teenage Drug Lord” A Slick True Crime Doc
Blends elements of True Crime, DIY, and the rise and fall of a businessman who got too cocky – all into one 90 minute feature.
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Review: ‘Myth and Mogul: John DeLorean’ | Riveting, Cautionary Docuseries
If you remember bits and pieces from the early 80s, you’ll still find new discoveries within the previously unseen footage.
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Review: ‘Tattoo Redo’ | When a Cover-Up Is a Life-Changer
Yes, it is especially interesting to folks with tattoos, but what makes the show watchable is the viewer’s empathy with the participants.
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Review: ‘Midnight in the Switchgrass’ | 2 ½ out of 4 Stars
The poster is misleading, but this genre potboiler gives you what you expect
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Horror Review: ‘Animosity’ | Why Can’t We Be Friends?
We have some decent kindling for a film that never quite catches fire.
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Review: ‘Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage’ | 3 ½ out of 4 Stars
By the end of the weekend, there had been sexual assualts, fires, and ragey white frat bros gone wild
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Horror Review: ‘Kandisha’ Goes Easy on the Scares
We’d rather see a movie about these three running into frightening turns while out tagging.
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Review: ‘Jolt’ | A Butt-Kicking Beckinsale Bashes Bad Guys
Babies will be tossed (unharmed), cars will be crashed, asses will be kicked
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Horror Review: ‘The Nest’ | 1 out of 4 Stars
I don’t drink, but as I struggled through the purported horror flick, The Nest, I kept thinking that it might be the perfect movie to watch drunk.
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‘Fear Street’ Trilogy Review: Are You the Target Audience?
I think it is for those who already know what they’re looking for. “Outsiders” who don’t know the Stine stories or like mild slasher flicks may take a pass.
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Review: ‘Die in a Gunfight’ | Bullets and Some Smiles
A mixed bag from me. 2 out of 4 Stars. It could’ve been a lot worse, I wish it’d been a lot better.
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Review: ‘The Boys in Red Hats’ | What is the Whole Truth?
Schroder has made a thoughtful, fair, and more complete look at the video and that day and the days after.
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Review: ‘Pig’ | Return to Nuanced Acting by Nicolas Cage in A Wonderful Film
Have the days of the overwrought, frenzied, bark at the moon performances by Nicolas Cage come to an end?
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Review:’Elize Matsunaga:Once Upon A Crime’ A Rare Miss from Netflix
What would have made for an engrossing 90 minute feature, has been stretched thin into a four-part series that treads the same ground over and over again
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True Crime Review: ‘Heist’ Makes You Root for the Crooks
Ever find yourself kinda rooting for the bad guy in a story? You know he’s done something wrong and you know the cops are just doing their jobs, but…still.
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Review: Luxe Listings Sydney| Real Estate Reality Down Under
if you think of this as a modern day Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, then you’ll like it as escapism and breezily daydream your way through the series.
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Review: ‘Son’ | Is it Horror or a Thriller?
If the female lead is imagining everything, it’s a psychological thriller. If she’s not, it’s more of a mild horror thriller. Either way…blood
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True Crime Review: ‘Sophie: A Murder in West Cork’ Fascinates and Frustrates
The series is populated with cops and journalists and local citizens who recount that period with clarity and charming accents.
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Movie Review: ‘Unchained’ | Lock it Up, Lock it Up…
The only fight scenes are poorly choreographed to hide the lack of experience of the actors.You have seen better fight sequences in SNL sketches any given week.
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Documentary Review: ‘The Legend of the Underground’
There are heartbreaking tales but there are also many scenes of levity: dancing, gossiping, even a “catwalk class” that will bring a broad smile to the viewer.
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Review: ‘Boss Baby: Family Business’ 2 ½ Stars
It’s never gonna not be cool to hear Jeff Goldblum’s voice coming out of an animated baby’s mouth. Is it worth sitting through a chaotic, loud, relentless movie
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Review: ‘Lydia Lunch: The War is Never Over’ Plumbs Pioneer’s Past
Get ready to have your face melted off by her brutal honesty and larger-than-life persona.
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Disney’s ‘Luca’ | Change Your Pixar Expectations and You’ll Delight In It
And I say: “So what?” PIxar is under no obligation to follow a formula, other than to tell a good story with heart, if no panache. ‘Luca’ has heart
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Review: ‘Angel’ Pairs Star-Crossed Lovers In Exotic Locale
A film that gets great mileage from its atmosphere and understated performances, even if its artsy flourishes keep it from appealing to wider audiences
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Review: ‘Werewolves Within’ | You’ll Howl with Laughter
Forget the title, this is about a pack of hilarious eccentrics and their clumsy quest to solve murders.
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Review: ‘Caveat’ Brings the Creepy | 3 Stars
Sometimes yelling at the screen from your armchair means the characters are doing something stupid. Not always.
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‘LFG’ Thrills and Infuriates With Behind the Scenes Story of Women’s Soccer Team
This is a story of women getting cheated by their bosses and deciding to go after the bastards, at risk to their own careers.
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Review: ‘An Unquiet Grave’ Moves From Horror Filmfests to Streaming
A simple story told in a simple way, An Unquiet Grave is a clunky title for a rather elegant, if occasionally slow, supernatural thriller.
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‘Take Back’: Kick-A** Woman vs Rubbery-Faced Mickey Rourke
Hollywood has done something rare and welcome: An African-American female over the age of 40 is the lead in an action film!
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George A. Romero’s ‘The Amusement Park’ | Horror or History?
Almost predictably, Romero delivered an unacceptable product to the Lutheran Society and the film went unseen. It was “too disturbing,” they said. Too weird.
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Review: Animated ‘Wish Dragon’ Delights and Surprises.
Despite blatant borrowing from other films, Wish Dragon emerges with its own identity – it’s delightful.
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