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Film Reviews
Film Review – Carmen
Director/choreographer Benjamin Millepied’s Carmen (2022) is not so much an adaptation of the famous novel/opera, but a complete re-imagining that uses the source material as a groundwork. The result is an intoxicating and vibrant sensory experience. Some viewers may be turned off by its poeticism (some might describe…
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Film Review – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
There is an air of finality all throughout Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). Sure, when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is anything really over? I wouldn’t be surprised to see any one of these misfits show up again in some form or another down the road.…
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Film Review – R.M.N.
The title of R.M.N. (2022) loosely translates to “Magnetic Resonance Imaging,” or “M.R.I.” This is a not-so-subtle clue from Romanian writer/director Cristian Mungiu over his intentions. Just as he did with his Palme D’or winning 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007), Mungiu takes a small, enclosed narrative and uses…
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Film Review – Peter Pan & Wendy
Writer/director David Lowery is establishing himself as one of the premiere fantasy filmmakers. Whether his work is centered around family-oriented tales (such as Pete’s Dragon (2016)) or adult centered fables (The Green Knight (2021)/A Ghost Story (2017)), Lowery has the ability to craft fantastical elements with sincerity and intelligence. He takes…
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Film Review – To Catch a Killer
Have you ever listened to a band perform a cover to a song, and while they get all the notes right the feeling isn’t there? That’s the effect we get from the crime thriller To Catch a Killer (2023). It follows the familiar blueprint almost beat for…
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Film Review – Ghosted
Ghosted (2023) has the kind of glossy artificiality of an amusement park stage show. There are plenty of explosions, shoot outs, and death-defying stunts, but there’s never a moment we are not aware that everything is a simulation. There is no tension because we don’t believe…
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Film Review – Mafia Mamma
On paper, I can see why Toni Collette would be interested in a project like Mafia Mamma (2023). It allows her to flex her comedic chops, visit beautiful Italian locales, drink wine, eat good food, be a boss and kick some ass along the way. For an actor who…
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Film Review – How to Blow Up a Pipeline
Based on the book by Andreas Maim, How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022) is a white-knuckle ride that does not let up from beginning to end. Instead of dancing around its political themes, director Daniel Goldhaber (who cowrites with Ariela Barer and Jordan Sjol) places them front and center. The characters…
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