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*)
Michael Young
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*)
Nyad (2024.3, Disappointing , Tank )
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Despite great acting by Bening and Foster, Nyad fails to develop sympathetic characters and an interesting story. (3*)
Maestro (2024.2, Powerful , Solid )
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Maestro is a well told story of a romance between two individuals over decades and how it developed in the shadow of fame. (4.5*)
Killers of the Flower Moon (2024.1, Exceptional, Murder )
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Killers of the Flower Moon is an exceptional and powerful movie about the Osage Native American murders of the 1920s, but it’s just too long! (4*)
2024 Oscar Movies: This Year’s Program
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An Overview of my review process, and a general outline of when and how we will be looking and reviewing each of the 2024 Oscar Movies.
2024 Oscars: Recap
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I review my 2024 Oscars prediction success (17 out of 23 correct). And talk about what worked in the prediction process and where it screwed up.
2024 Oscars: My Predictions
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Here are my predictions for each of the categories for the 2024 Oscars. I hope you enjoy the show and all of the movies this year!
2024 Oscar Nominees: Overall Rankings
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A suggested ranking of all 38 feature Oscar nominees based on real world data. I then compare those ratings to the actual nominations and make some observations.
2024 Oscar Nominees: What Others Think
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An in-depth analysis of what audience and critic reaction is right now to the 38 Oscar nominees. Includes comparison of both rankings.
2024 Oscar Nominees: Initial Analysis
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First Analysis of the 2024 Oscar Nominees, including a quantitative assessment of how competitive they are and the current measurement of Hollywood Sexism!
2023 Oscar Drama Films
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An overview of all of 2023’s Oscar-nominated movies, focusing on drama films. This is the last review essay of the 2023 Oscar year
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris – Marked Down (3*)
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Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is, ultimately, a Hallmark Christmas movie with the bonus of wonderful costumes and terrific acting from Lesley Manville. (3*)
2023 Oscar Comedy Films
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An Overview of the 12 2023 Oscar Comedy Films and a look back to 2022.
2023 Oscar Action Films
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An Overview of the 2023 Oscar Action Films (and a review of last year’s recommended entries.)
Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths: Not for Everyone (3.5*)
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Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is long, complex, statement of a man in multiple transitions. The film will reward viewers who have the time and patience to watch it more than once. (3.5*)
Empire of Light – Frugal and Pale (2.5*)
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Empire of Light is a visual and sonic delight but leaves you empty. It portrays a May – November romance, set in a 1980s coastal movie theater. Needs much more chemistry between the characters and with the audience.
2023 Oscar Minor Genre Films
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An overview of the 2023 Oscar Minor Genre Films. The minor (2 or fewer films) genres are, mystery, romance, music, musical, sports, westerns, war, and horror.
Tell It Like a Woman – Seven Strong Shorts (3.5*)
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Tell It Like a Woman is a compendium of seven shorts, all written and directed by women and featuring women as the main characters. It is not a typical “movie” but has important messages. (3.5*)
Aftersun – Critics Cheer, Viewers Marked Down (2.5*)
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Aftersun is, for most viewers, a rather boring but sensitive story of a young father and his 11-year-old daughter on vacation at a beach resort in Turkey. surreptitiously woven into this story is another, more tragic tale – but good luck to the casual viewer trying to find it.
2023 Oscar Adventure Films
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An overview of 2023’s Oscar-nominated Adventure Films, including a look back to last year’s.
Causeway – Acting Bonus with Frugal Script and Directing (2.5*)
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Causeway has some terrific acting but the script and direction just don’t cut it. (2.5*)
2023 Oscar Biography Films
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An Overview of the 2023 Oscar-nominated Biography films.
RRR – Fun-Loving Indian Super-Humans (4*)
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RRR is an over-the-top action movie in the Bollywood tradition. With CGI, action, humor, song, dance, and history, it is just three hours of fun. (4*)
2023 Oscar Crime Films
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An overview of the 2023 Oscar-nominated Crime films with recommendations from this year and last!
To Leslie – Woozy / Boozy / Mediocre (3*)
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To Leslie showcases a terrific performance by Andrea Riseborough. Unfortunately, its treatment of addiction and substance abuse does not rise to her performance level. (3*)
2023 Oscar Thriller Films
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An overview of the 2023 Oscar-nominated Thriller films.
Blonde – Long Sexy with Hidden Truths (3.5*)
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Blonde is not a biography of Marilyn Monroe, although she is the central character. This is, instead, an unusually forceful exploration of how difficult it is for women to fuse their public and private personas. It is also an indictment of Hollywood, and of men generally. (3.5*)