Napoleon (2024.32, Stunning , But Bad)
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Napoleon is visually stunning but fails to tell an emotionally engaging and understandable story. (1.5*)
Michael Young
The Creator (2024.31, Pale , Not Good )
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The Creator is a disappointing science fiction movie that could have had a great story but instead gets lost in the special effects. (2.5*)
Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning (2024.30, Thrilling , A Blast)
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Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning is an action-packed thriller with everything you’d expect from the IMF. It is also an endurance test of adrenaline production. (4*)
2024 Oscar Family Films
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A quick review of this year’s Oscar-nominated Family Films.
2024 Oscar Animated Films
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An overview of this year’s Oscar-nominated Animated Films, and brief looks at three recommended from last year.
Godzilla Minus One (2024.29, Lots-of-fun Smash )
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Godzilla Minus One is a monster movie but it is also a surprisingly good personal drama that tells us much about Japanese national character. (4*)
The Boy and the Heron (2024.28, Interesting , Spirit )
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The Boy and the Heron is beautifully crafted, but the musings of a man contemplating the end of his life and what it means to him. Not for everybody. (3.5*)
Robot Dreams (2024.27, Simple , Just OK )
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Robot Dreams is an animated film with no humans and no dialog that conveys feelings of emotional connection but is mostly concerned with cute and fun imagery. (3.5*)
May December (2024.26, Uncomfortable , Emotionally Rich )
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May December will leave you very uncomfortable, but that is precisely why you should see it. (4*)
2024 Oscar Romance Films
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An overview of the 2024 Oscar Romance films, with a summary of my reviews and a look at the best example from last year.
2024 Oscar Documentary Films
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A summary review of all five of this year’s Oscar-nominated documentary feature films. Also includes a look at the better documentaries of last year’s nominees.
Rustin (2024.25, Ordinary , Pale )
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Bayard Rustin almost single-handedly organized the 1963 March on Washington is, however, a very ordinary biopic. Watch it for Domingo’s performance, or don’t watch it at all (3*)
The Color Purple (2024.24, Disappointing , Rookie )
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The Color Purple might work as a TV mini series, but the shifts in tone means that it works OK as a musical but not as a drama. (3*)
Bobi Wine The People’s President (2024.23, Good , Timely )
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Bobi Wine The People’s President documents five years in the life of a man who used his musical success to challenge the corrupt and autocratic rule of Uganda’s president. The movie succeeds in meshing music and politics in an intriguing mix.
20 Days in Mariupol (2024.22, Superb , Savage )
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20 Days in Mariupol is not a feel-good movie. But if you have any doubts about how horrible war is, or even if you don’t, you need to watch this film. (5*)
The Eternal Memory (2024.21, Heartbreaking , Okay )
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The Eternal Memory successfully captures the loving relationship with a wife trying to give care to her Alzheimer’s-afflicted husband. It also tries to paint, unsuccessfully, a parallel picture with his work as a reporter in Chile during the Pinochet regime. (3.5*)
To Kill A Tiger (2024.20, Courageous , Honest )
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A good but disturbing film documenting the struggle of a 13-year old rape victim in rural India and her father as they seek justice and, in the process, start social change.
Four Daughters (2024.19, Fascinating , Unique )
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Four Daughters is a fascinating and unique that tells a tough story of a broken Tunisian family. It also raises questions about artifice and filmmaking ethics. (3.5*)
The Teachers’ Lounge (2024.18, Uneven , Edge -y)
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The Teachers’ Lounge is an uneven film about a German middle school teacher caught in a web of increasing misunderstandings and uncertainty. (3*)
Io Capitano (2024.17, Not Good , Lost )
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Io Capitano is a harrowing tale of two teenage boys, attempting to immigrate to Italy from Senegal. While the story had promise, the movie lacks purpose and fails to define a consistent tone. (2*)
Perfect Days (2024.16, Graceful , Simple )
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Perfect Days will appeal to older generations who look for simpler, easier times and marvel in the way light filters through tree tops (komorebi) (4*)
Society of the Snow (2024.15, Uncomfortable , Value )
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Society of the Snow is a very difficult film to watch, but it is probably an essential one. It effectively makes you ask what you would do when faced with these choices. (4.5*)
Elemental (2024.14, Disappointing , Light )
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Elemental is top-notch creative world building on top of a mundane story! (3*)
Nimona (2024.13, Good , Little-Known )
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Nimona may not be the best in animation, but it tells an important message about gender identity. (3.5*)
Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse (2024.12, So-So , Hero )
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Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse is a sequel and like the original, it isn’t for everyone. If you are into comic book action heroes go for it. Otherwise, there are plenty of other movies to see. (3*)
Oppenheimer (2024.11, Astonishing , Full )
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Oppenheimer is an epic film that rewards the hard work required of the viewer. A full exploration of a man, physics, politics, and movie making. (5*)
Poor Things (2024.10, Beautiful , Sex )
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Poor Things, the story of a baby’s mind in an adult woman’s body, is probably the most bizarre movie I’ve ever seen. It is also one of the best. (5*)
The Zone of Interest (2024.9, Disturbing , Truth )
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The Zone of Interest is more than just a story of evil. But the film’s best characteristics are damaged by extraneous scenes. (3.5*)
The Holdovers (2024.8, Fine , Funny)
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In The Holdovers, three people, rife with their own problems, spend Christmas break, 1970, with each other. It is funny and emotional. And it’s a Christmas Movie. (3.5*)
Past Lives (2024.7, Simple, Love)
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Past LIves tells the story of three characters in a whirlwind of fond memories, painful regrets, and doubts of self-worth. A simple and tightly emotional story, but not one you will long remember (3.5*)
American Fiction (2024.6, Engaging , Savvy )
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American Fiction is about racial stereotyping cast as a delicious comedy and moving drama. It is also, I think, a story about its own creation. (4*)
Anatomy of a Fall (2024.5, Puzzling , Murder ?)
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An accident? A suicide? Or was it murder? Anatomy of a Fall will keep you oscillating between the possibilities even past the end. (4*)
Barbie (2024.4, Terrific , Energy )
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So far, at least, this is my favorite picture of the year. Full of sensory and storytelling delight. (5*)