It’s hard not to sympathize with Hugh Jackman’s character in Prisoners. He’s a devoted father who just lost his young daughter. There’s no trace of her anywhere and the one suspect in custody isn’t talking. It’s enough …
Latest Posts
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This year’s edition of the Toronto International Film Festival has officially come and gone. With new films from all around the world having been released across the festival’s 10-day run, I thought it would be …
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It’s been funny to see Knives Out essentially take the Hercule Poirot franchise’s lunch the last few years. That’s not to say Kenneth Branagh’s Agatha Christie trilogy is an abject failure, but comparing the two …
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Retrospectives
Watching ‘Rounders’ as Someone with Very Little Poker Experience
by Kali Tuttleby Kali TuttleRounders is about a poker genius, Mike McDermott (Matt Damon), on a mission to regain the money he lost to Russian gangster, Teddy “KGB” (John Malkovich). The games are all about subtlety and attention to detail. …
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Introducing a young cast of first-time actors, Lay Me by the Shore follows a week in the life of Noah, a high school senior in his final days of school as he comes to terms …
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When facing war, a political leader knows that there will be hard choices to make. They also know that lives will be lost. The new biopic, Golda, follows the late Golda Meir (Helen Mirren) during the Yom Kippur War. …
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Streaming ComedyStreaming Reviews
‘You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah’: A Funny and Real Coming-of-Age Tale
Every culture has its own coming-of-age ritual. It represents the bridge between childhood and the slow growth to adulthood. In the new Netflix movie, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, Stacy Friedman (Sunny Sandler) is preparing for …
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Editor’s note: A previous draft of this review for Mad Cats included the pun, “It’s not purrfect.” We apologize for even considering such a bad pun. We’ll do better in the future. A movie …
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Two ex-lovers cross paths at a train station. Nick Kush: In a manner that only animation could express, Soft Animals is a very honest, funny, and occasionally gross (thanks to some wonderfully squishy sound design) depiction …
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If there’s one thing to take away from New Life, it’s that John Rosman knows how to structure a screenplay. Rosman’s debut is the special kind of film that withholds just the right amount of …
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Aside from the Barbenheimer phenomenon, the summer movie season has been a little odd, with many high-profile franchise entertainments underperforming. Included in that was Indiana Jones and the Dial of the Destiny, which hasn’t exactly …
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Retrospectives
‘Ain’t Them Bodies Saints’: A Clumsy Attempt at Storytelling
by Kali Tuttleby Kali TuttleAin’t Them Bodies Saints tries hard to be a good historical crime drama, but falls flat trying to hit all the right plot points. It had romance, tension, forbidden love, crime, guns, and an attractive young couple …
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You’ll never feel more confused about a hero than you will about the Stranger of High Plains Drifter. He’s a vile man who rapes women, kills men, and sneers at everyone he sees. He’d be the villain …
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The Fugitive is a phenomenal action film starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. It follows Dr. Richard Kimble (Ford), who has been falsely accused of murdering his wife. After escaping from prison in a freak …
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One of my toxic traits is that I love a good single-location thriller. There’s something about being trapped in a life-threatening situation with one character that always pulls me in. Are they hurt? Are they …
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Streaming DocumentariesStreaming Reviews
‘Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate’ – A Warning Not to Be Missed
Human history is cyclical. The new Netflix documentary, Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate, is both a reflection of the past and a warning about the future. In the 1920s and 1930s in Berlin, the Eldorado was one of the most prominent LGBTQ clubs in …
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DocumentaryReviews
Fantasia Film Festival 2023 Review: ‘A Disturbance in the Force’
by Nick Kushby Nick KushIn a time when so many big-budget blockbuster hopefuls are prepackaged as the start of an entire universe of films before they arrive in theaters, it’s nearly impossible for someone like yours truly to imagine …
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Retrospectives
The New and Improved ‘League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’
by Kali Tuttleby Kali TuttleThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was supposedly so bad that Sean Connery retired after making it. After watching it, I can’t blame him. It’s a ridiculous adventure with no real stakes and it was over before …
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Hundreds of Beavers. Amazing title. No notes. The content of the film itself? Shockingly little notes there too! Hundreds of Beavers is the epitome of a film festival discovery: a wildly creative, handmade project that …
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Sophie (Judy Greer) is reeling after her husband Mal (Edi Gathegi) tragically died in a drunk driving incident eight months ago. Mal was a scientist, and shared that love with their daughter Riley (Faithe Herman); …
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Barbenheimer is finally here! To celebrate what is most likely the biggest moviegoing event in years, Spencer, Collin, and Nick came together to share their experiences completing the highly anticipated double feature. They then discuss …
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Countless moments in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie had me thinking, “I can’t believe this is a real movie.” From a hilarious 2001-style opening in which little girls smash their old dolls, to Margot Robbie drinking imaginary …
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For a film made in 1943, For Whom the Bell Tolls is relatively progressive in how it treats its film characters. However, the sexism of the time period still leaks into the story. Even though our main …
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Compared to other festivals, I’ve always had a loving appreciation for the Fantasia Film Festival as a platform for hard genre films from all over the globe. Chances are that if you watch enough films …
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If Tom Cruise is the last true bankable movie star, then Christopher Nolan is one of just a handful of truly bankable auteur blockbuster directors we have left. Someone who is not a job-for-hire director …