Category: drama
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![Christopher Robin [2018] ★★★](https://tlkabtmovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/christopher-robin1.jpg?w=1024)
Christopher Robin [2018] ★★★
I’d be lying if I said that the opening sequence in “Christopher Robin” didn’t leave me in tears. This is the kind of impact that these characters have on me. In a multiplex filled with summer blockbusters, it’s good to revisit old friends and rediscover the charming world of Winnie the Pooh and his friends.…
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The Equalizer 2 [2018] ★★½
Denzel Washington kicking ass is probably everything you need to see this summer. This sequel to the 2014 hit follows the same formula, which means you won’t go in expecting a fast-paced action flick like “Taken” or “Mission Impossible”. But director Antoine Fuqua, who is often hailed as a lyrical filmmaker, does things his way,…
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Love, Simon [2018] ★★★
It’s not your typical boy meets girl coming-of-age stories. This is the story of Simon (wonderfully played by Nick Robinson), a teenager who is coming to terms with his sexuality, but still has no idea how to come out to his family or even his friends. Dad (Josh Duhamel) throws in gay jokes, while mom (Jennifer…
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Loving Pablo [2017] ★★
Whether it’s on TV or on the big screen, filmmakers never miss an opportunity to tell a story about Pablo Escobar, the notorious drug lord who rose to fame in the 80’s, before his eventual fall in the early 90’s. From Netlfix’s “Narcos” to last year’s underrated “American Made”, it feels that we’ve seen it…
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Midnight Sun [2018] ★★
It’s not Valentine, but we got a tearjerker that reminds us that Hollywood doesn’t know how to make good tearjerkers anymore. “Midnight Sun”, starring Bella Thorne as a teenager who can’t be exposed to sunlight due to a rare genetic disease, is manipulative, cheesy, and just downright generic. Yep, you guessed it, she’s about to…
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In Syria [2018] ★★★½
“In Syria” is a devastating drama that further reaffirms the fact that Diamand Bou Abboud is one of the best Lebanese actresses in the industry. Belgian director Philippe Van Leeuw shot the entire film in an apartment building to depict the lives of a group of Syrian people who try their very best to survive,…
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Wonder Wheel [2017] ★★½
While it doesn’t add anything new to Woody Allen’s fruitful career, it’s difficult to dismiss his latest film, “Wonder Wheel”, just because I had a good time watching it. It has an abundance of eye candy and an amusing cast, making it entertaining enough for any Allen fan. We’re in Coney Island this time around,…
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The 15:17 To Paris [2018] ★★½
Only a skilled filmmaker like Clint Eastwood can take real life heroes, put them in a movie, and make something out of it. I’m talking about Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler and Alek Skarlatos, three childhood American friends who, while vacationing in Europe in 2015, had to face a terrorist on board the 15:17 To Paris. It’s…
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Fifty Shades Freed [2018] ★
Think of every bad movie I’ve ever reviewed on this blog. Way below that is “Fifty Shades of Grey” and its sequel “Fifty Shades Darker”. Then there’s 50,000 feet of horse shit. Dig another 100,000 feet until you hit rock bottom and there you will find “50 Shades Freed”, a sequel so stupid and so…
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Phantom Thread [2017] ★★★½
Daniel Day Lewis is a genius. Having tackled so many different characters throughout his career (he took home 3 Oscars as a result), he oddly insisted that his role as Reynolds Woodcock, a British dressmaker in the 1950’s would be his very last. A damn shame? You bet. But what a sendoff. Working with the…
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Darkest Hour [2017] ★★½
The Oscar for best actor in a leading role goes to Gary Oldman. His brilliant performance as Prime Minister Winston Churchill is the best, and probably only reason to see this slice of history. Of the movie itself, I can’t say I loved it. I suppose there’s no other way of depicting a history lesson…
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Call Me By Your Name [2017] ★★★½
Luca Guadagnino’s devastating and unforgettable “Call Me By Your Name” hits you like a shot in the heart. In detailing the relationship between 17-year-old Elio Perlman (a wonderful Timothée Chalamet) and an older man (Armie Hammer) during the summer of 1983, Guadagnino takes us on a roller coaster ride of emotions and heartbreak. Both actors wear their…
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All The Money In The World [2017] ★★★
88-year-old Christopher Plummer is sensational in Ridley Scott’s drama “All the Money in the World”. But it almost didn’t happen. That’s right. A month before its release, a scandal involving Kevin Spacey broke, and Scott had to re-shoot his scenes with Plummer instead to avoid a box-office disaster. So yes, kudos to Scott for pulling…
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The Shape Of Water [2017] ★★★½
Guillermo Del Toro makes movies like no other filmmaker. If you’ve seen “The Devil’s Backbone” and “Pan’s Labyrinth”, you probably know the scale of his vision. But nothing could have prepared me for his latest masterpiece: a beautifully crafted, visually stunning love letter to cinema that ranks among his best films. Other Hollywood movies may…
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Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri [2017] ★★½
I’ve been a huge Martin McDonagh fan for at least a decade now. His movie “In Bruges” won me over completely and I still have fond memories of his underrated “Seven Psychopaths”. That being said, I didn’t fully appreciate his latest film, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”, despite its critical acclaim (and the fact that it…
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Downsizing [2017] ★★
Whether he’s teaching us a wine lesson in “Sideways” or simply taking us on a road trip with a father and his son in “Nebraska”, director Alexander Payne has managed to put a personal stamp on everything he does. I didn’t love his newest film, “Downsizing”, and come to think of it this is a…
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The Post [2017] ★★★
Steven Spielberg’s ode to journalism and freedom of speech comes at a time where these values are being questioned in our own country, which makes it all the more worth recommending. From a cinematic point of view, “The Post” is being compared to “All The President’s Men” and even “Spotlight”, and understandably so. Spielberg has…
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Goodbye Christopher Robin [2017] ★★★
I’ve seen all sorts of biopics, so it’s always refreshing to encounter a new one about a subject I wasn’t familiar with before. I’m talking, of course, about “Goodbye Christopher Robin”, the story behind the creation of one of the most beloved bears of all time: Winnie the Pooh. That such a lovely, heartfelt film…
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Lady Bird [2017] ★★★½
Coming-of-age movies have been around since forever, hitting their peak in the 1980’s with such movies as “Breakfast Club” and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”. Even Richard Linklater’s masterful “Boyhood” explored that part of adolescence with a keen eye for detail. Is there room for more? The answer is yes and she goes by the…
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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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