“Pattinson and Dafoe both give towering, memorable, and haunting performances. This film keeps you off balance all the way through its hallucinatory decent.”
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“Zombieland: Double Tap keeps things lively enough to keep things entertaining and prevent everything from decomposing and being completely braindead.”
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“Joker is a film that wants to challenge audiences, wants to provoke, and wants to be great. Joaquin Phoenix has moments where he is mesmerizing but as compelling as he is there are just as many elements of this film that are problematic or provocative just for the sake of being provocative.”
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“The racing is thrilling, the lead performers are engaging and having fun, and it tells a compelling underdog story of the Ford racing team vs. the world. It’s a genuine crowd-pleaser.”
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“Brad Pitt gives one of the best performances of his career in this film that may finally start to make director James Gray more of a name that audiences are familiar with.”
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Increased visibility of trans and non-binary people in life is leading to increased representation in the arts, and while it is nowhere near where it should be, we need to be able to reward such art in a way that doesn’t leave the artists feeling like they have to squeeze into a category they don’t believe they fit into.
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It Chapter Two arrives in theaters with some lofty audience expectations. While the sequel floats in some respects, sadly, it sinks in other areas.
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Good Boys may not quite live up to the expectations of being Superbad in sixth grade, but it comes close. The three lead kids are individually funny and work well as a group of friends trying to make their way through the hardships of middle school.
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I’m not usually one to advocate keeping franchises going, especially when they have very considerately ended, but I think that Disney should continue the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series with Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann as its central character. After all, she’s not just a full-blown pirate when all is said and done; she is the Pirate King.
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Since its premiere in July of 2016, Stranger Things, the Netflix Original series, has won the hearts of viewers worldwide; the third season amassing 40.7 million views in the first four days after its airing. Stranger Things has amassed such success due in large part to the distinct empathetic way it connects with its audience – especially its millennial viewership that makes up nearly half of the show’s viewers.
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There is an insidious idea creeping into the movie-going experience. Something that drives up attendance without demanding higher quality in the product. A non-issue that can make a person feel like their life has been ruined when at most two hours of their life has been slightly tweaked. This threat to our sanity and our humanity is the spoiler: the idea that if you find out the big secret in a movie (or play or book) it ruins the whole thing.
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As long as Johnson and Statham are game, I suspect we will be seeing a Hobbs & Shaw 2 in 2-3 years’ time. That wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. It’s a reliable summer action flick.
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When presented with a new character for the first time, I immediately ask myself where am I going to find inspiration?
It’s during these times that I remember that Andy Serkis used his cat as his inspiration for the voice of Gollum. This story taught me to be open-minded about where I gain inspiration. There’s no need to religiously study the performances of BAFTA winning actors and attempt to copy and paste what they do. There’s a lot to be said for people watching. Or if you’re Mr. Serkis, pet watching.
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At this point, it seems like we should know what we’re getting with a Quentin Tarantino film, right? There’s going to be loving to old films he loves, great characters with great dialogue, and at least some moments of hyper-violence. With Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Tarantino manages to keep the formula fresh and vibrant. He’s also expanding his storytelling palate, which is probably going to be slightly divisive for some.
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The arc of Pride Rock in the movie feels like it is paralleling how these Disney adaptations are going; at the beginning, it was teeming with life and growth and possibility, but it is now starting to look a little rundown, soulless, and, if things don’t change, it could start to look desolate. Aside from stunning visuals, there is a lack of substance in The Lion King that is becoming much more common in these Disney adaptations.
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Recently, I saw Midsommar with a friend and we left the theater completely blown away by it and spent our entire drive back to his place talking about it. After I dropped him off and headed home, I started listening to a podcast that had an interview with the director, Ari Aster. When I got home, even though it had been a long day, I was not tired; I was still energized from having seen the film.
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Crawl has just the right amount of creature feature substance and quality thrills to make it an enjoyable and effective summer flick.
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Overlooking the occasional misstep, Spider-Man: Far From Home is a fun continuation of the story of this iteration of Spider-Man. Tom Holland has pretty much cemented his place as the best Spider-Man we’ve had.
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