Category: The Twenty-First Century
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The Killing Of A Sacred Deer [2017] ★★★
In an era of remakes and cash-in sequels, it’s good to see filmmakers still taking risks with movies that keep their distance from the multiplex formula. I’m talking about Yorgos Lanthimos, the genius behind “The Lobster“. If you’ve seen that movie, you know he’s a director who doesn’t play by the rules. Then again so did…
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I, Tonya [2017] ★★★
I knew almost nothing about Tonya Harding, the American figure skater who was involved in a national sports scandal back in the 90’s. So it was up to Margot Robbie to give me a reason to care. To say that she succeeds with flying colors would be an understatement. Robbie is simply sensational, as she…
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Loving Vincent [2017] ★★★
You can think of “Loving Vincent” as a gift for art lovers and movie buffs alike. It’s a mesmerizing look at Vincent Van Gogh’s final days, as elegantly interpreted by a team of 100 professional painters who hand painted every single frame of this truly unique film. That’s right, you’re not just watching a story…
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Coco [2017] ★★★½
I feel bad for missing out on “Coco” on the week of its release, but now that I’ve seen it I can finally weigh in on this extraordinary film from Disney/Pixar. The concept itself is unprecedented, which makes “Coco” even more original than any animated film I’ve seen this year. Without spoiling the movie’s many…
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The Mountain Between Us [2017] ★★
I wanted to like this movie. I really did. And on the surface, “The Mountain Between Us” has all the right ingredients to make it a winner: two charismatic stars and an intriguing plot. Kate Winslet and Idris Elba are two strangers who find themselves struggling to survive when their plane crash-lands on a mountain…
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Daddy’s Home 2 [2017] ★½
Team up Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg for a comedy movie and you should get something funny right? Wrong. That was Daddy’s Home back in 2015. Now team these two up with Mel Gibson and John Lithgow and you should get something better, right? Wrong again. “Daddy’s Home 2”, and much like “A Bad Moms…
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Breathe [2017] ★★★
Andrew Garfield is superb in “Breathe”, completely immersing himself in the role of Robin Cavendish, a British army captain who was taken ill with polio and given just months to live. His wife (played by Claire Foy of “The Crown”), can’t accept it. How could she? Refusing to give up, they decide to escape the hospital…
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Marrowbone [2017] ★★
How do you promote a great looking misfire these days? You tell people that it was written and directed by the same man who wrote the superior Spanish film “The Orphanage”. As much as I wanted to like his latest effort, “Marrowbone”, I have to be honest in evaluating this film: it’s a disappointment. I…
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A Bad Moms Christmas [2017] ★½
The first movie wasn’t innovative in any way, but I had a blast watching it. If you did as well, you’ll feel cheated after watching this God-awful sequel. “A Bad Moms Christmas”, as you might have guessed, is basically set around the holidays and features the same cast from the first film, except they’re not…
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Wonder [2017] ★★★
Want to see a movie that will put you in a good mood, even long after the credits start rolling? “Wonder” is the movie for you. This is the kind of film that gives feel-good stories a good name. I honestly can’t see how anyone could pick a fight with it. Based on the New York…
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Thank You For Your Service [2017] ★★½
In 1947, a movie called “The Best Years of our Lives” won 7 Oscars, including best picture, for its harrowing portrayal of World War II veterans, who return home only to realize that their lives will never be the same again. The movie was shockingly powerful, digging deep into the psychology of soldiers, long after…
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Newness [2017] ★★½
In the age of swiping left and right, is true love dead? Director Drake Doremus (“Like Crazy”) raises a very important question before shifting his focus on open relationships. Nicholas Hoult hooks up with Laia Costa through a dating app. They supposedly fall in love, but before long they agree to start seeing other people,…
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The Meyerowitz Stories (New And Selected) [2017] ★★★
If you’re familiar with writer-director Noah Baumbach, you know that he’s a filmmaker who observes family with an incredible eye for detail. Having tackled similar themes in the past (see “The Squid and the Whale”), Baumbach returns with one of his most ambitious projects yet: “The Meyerowitz Stories”. Can’t spell that title out? Don’t cringe.…
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Murder On The Orient Express [2017] ★★★
To say that this version of Agatha Christie’s beloved novel “Murder on the Orient Express” surpasses the 1974 film (at least in my eyes) would be an understatement. While its predecessor had an all-star cast, it also had its problems, chief among them a slow pace. That’s not to say that Kenneth Branagh’s movie is…
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Suburbicon [2017] ★½
When a movie is written by the Coen brothers and directed by George Clooney, you’d expect something at least decent. Alas, “Suburbicon” fails on every possible level, stranding a good cast that includes Matt Damon, Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac. The setting of a 1950’s suburban community offers great possibilities, but the result left me…
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Thor: Ragnarok [2017] ★★★½
I don’t like the word “hype”, but with “Thor: Ragnarok”, at least I can say that the hype is justified. This is easily the best “Thor” movie thus far and one of my favorite Marvel films as well. As someone who enjoyed Thor’s first adventure, I thought “The Dark World” was a massive step back.…
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Jigsaw [2017] ★★
I can picture a studio meeting in Hollywood: “hey why don’t we revive the “Saw” franchise? It’s been 7 years since “Saw VII” (supposedly “The Final Chapter”) hit theaters and it’s time to bring back Jigsaw to the big screen. That’s a brilliant idea! The suckers who paid money to see all the forgettable sequels…
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Happy Death Day [2017] ★★★
Movies like “Happy Death Day” are so easy to get wrong, but director Christopher Landon (who wrote “Disturbia”) has managed to pull it off. It’s best to describe his movie as a cross between “Groundhog Day” and basically any slasher film you can think of (the movie even pokes fun of that and I loved…
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Only The Brave [2017] ★★½
It’s difficult to know how to respond to a movie like “Only The Brave”. As a disaster film, it follows all the basic guidelines that we’ve come to expect from similar movies: heroism, excitement and a sense of real danger. As drama based on real life events, I thought the movie fell short. Josh Brolin…
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Geostorm [2017] ★★
You don’t walk in to see a disaster movie starring Gerard Butler expecting quotable dialogue or a ground-breaking story. And “Geostorm”, written and directed by Dean Devlin doesn’t claim to be something it’s not. It does offer eye-popping special effects, but everything else, from the acting to the cheesy climate premise, is mediocre at best.…
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