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3.5/4
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Dìdi
(2024)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
Frequently hilarious. But what lingers are the film's touching moments.
Posted Aug 01, 2024
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3.5/4
|
Deadpool & Wolverine
(2024)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
What makes 'Deadpool & Wolverine' worth talking about is the fact that it rattles cages... That might not be much, and it likely won't change much of anything, but it feels so good.
Posted Jul 24, 2024
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4/4
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Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
(1957)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
This masterpiece by Frank Tashlin may be his greatest film.
Posted Jul 21, 2024
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3/4
|
The Lemon Drop Kid
(1951)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
I'm surprised this halfway decent Bob Hope movie hasn't become a Christmas classic. It's silly and fun, with just the right combination of big city-savvy and sentimental sweet.
Posted Jul 21, 2024
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3.5/4
|
The Slumber Party Massacre
(1982)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
One of the best, smartest, and funniest slasher movies of its time.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
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3/4
|
Seed of Chucky
(2004)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
This fifth movie in the Child's Play series is considered one of the worst, but I like it for its full meta-absurdity.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
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3/4
|
New Jack City
(1991)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
'New Jack City' is steeped in Blaxploitation filmmaking, and is a good deal more stylish and more fun than, say, 'Boyz N the Hood,' released the same year.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
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2.5/4
|
The Mosquito Coast
(1986)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
It's a beautifully-made film, to be sure, with Weir's trademark use of space to define the characters, but it's a hard watch, given that Allie is such a deeply unsympathetic character.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
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3.5/4
|
The Linguini Incident
(1992)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
A highly enjoyable screwball crime caper.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
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3/4
|
The Hole in the Ground
(2019)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
Requires quite a bit of heavy-lifting from Kerslake, who is onscreen nearly all the time, and she pulls it off, planting seeds of anxious doubt every step of the way.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
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3/4
|
Fright Night
(1985)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
The movie does well in its mix of near-humor and genuine threat.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
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3/4
|
Child's Play 2
(1990)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
The film is surprisingly well-shot with all kinds of strange angles and unsettling spaces, notably the toy factory where the climactic showdown takes place.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
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3.5/4
|
Born to Be Bad
(1950)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
One of Nicholas Ray's trashiest movies, 'Born to Be Bad' is like the fun flip-side to 'All About Eve,' without the theater or the luster.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
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3/4
|
The Blackcoat's Daughter
(2015)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
Admittedly, the film's structure is more interesting than the story itself; if it had been laid out in chronological order, it wouldn't have been very interesting. But Perkins's eerie style is what sells it.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
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3/4
|
The Birdcage
(1996)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
Hank Azaria steals the entire picture as houseboy Agador.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
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3.5/4
|
Infested
(2023)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
It's a constantly surprising, shocking, and satisfying creature feature.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
|
3/4
|
Challengers
(2024)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
'Challengers' moves with an impressive amount of skill. Its pacing, and especially its innovative cutting, jumping back and forth through time, make things seem constantly exciting.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
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3.5/4
|
Black God, White Devil
(1964)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
A strange film, both of its time and blisteringly immediate.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
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3/4
|
Unforgettable
(1996)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
It's a oddball movie, to be sure, but with a little perspective, and knowing Dahl's touch for film noir, it becomes an interesting and welcome item in his filmography; it's certainly less of a black sheep than The Great Raid.
Posted Jul 18, 2024
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3/4
|
Kill Me Again
(1989)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
Overall, the movie plays like a decent "B" level noir, certainly worth viewing for fans of the genre.
Posted Jul 18, 2024
|
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3.5/4
|
The Secret Art of Human Flight
(2023)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
A beautifully touching portrait of grief.
Posted Jul 13, 2024
|
|
3/4
|
Night Shift
(2023)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
A sturdy, entertaining late-night watch.
Posted Jul 13, 2024
|
|
3.5/4
|
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
(2016)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
It's an ethereal, dreamlike, malleable movie, almost in the experimental vein, unconcerned with a linear explanation of events. Ghosts are in charge here.
Posted Jul 12, 2024
|
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3.5/4
|
Hit Man
(2023)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
Richard Linklater's 'Hit Man' feels rather slight on a first viewing, but that hardly matters when it's so smart and so wildly entertaining.
Posted Jul 05, 2024
|
|
3.5/4
|
Victims of Sin
(1950)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
This irresistible Mexican film, newly restored, takes place in the world of seedy nightclubs, arrogant crime lords, hot music, and beautiful women.
Posted Jul 03, 2024
|
|
3.5/4
|
American Fiction
(2023)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
'American Fiction' works by keeping the satire sharp, but giving it a genuine humanity.
Posted Jul 03, 2024
|
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3.5/4
|
Inside Out 2
(2024)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
Underneath Joy's primary mission is that secondary fear of the unknown that lies ahead. And the genius of this and other Pixar movies is that it faces this fear and comes out the other side.
Posted Jun 14, 2024
|
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3/4
|
Jumanji
(1995)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
Time has softened it, especially given the passing of star Robin Williams, and it's an enjoyable watch.
Posted Jun 13, 2024
|
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3/4
|
The Crow
(1994)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
What makes 'The Crow' work so well is its sheer intensity. It pulses with gothic energy, inky black nights and driving rain, long black hair and long black coats.
Posted Jun 04, 2024
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|
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Under the Cherry Moon
(1986)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
It's not exactly Lubitsch, to be sure, but it's an attractive and diverting comedy.
Posted Jun 04, 2024
|
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3/4
|
The Idea of You
(2024)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
Winds up a genuinely heartfelt story, centered on its characters and not on its gimmick.
Posted Jun 04, 2024
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4/4
|
A Story of Floating Weeds
(1934)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
The silent film shows a younger, more passionate, vigorous Ozu who had just established his simple style.
Posted Jun 04, 2024
|
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3.5/4
|
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
(2024)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
It's bonkers, insanely inventive, and contains at least one chase scene that rivals, and perhaps tops, anything in 'Fury Road.' It gave me the tingles.
Posted Jun 03, 2024
|
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4/4
|
Evil Does Not Exist
(2023)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
It's a movie that will be maddening to some, and boring to others, but it's also a work of great thought and skill, and a work of relevance and poetry.
Posted May 18, 2024
|
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3/4
|
Iguana
(1988)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
Hellman's beautifully observed direction makes the film mesmerizing.
Posted May 12, 2024
|
|
4/4
|
Ride in the Whirlwind
(1965)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
A miracle of understatement.
Posted May 12, 2024
|
|
3.5/4
|
The Big Bird Cage
(1972)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
Going for a slightly lighter tone than on the earlier film, Hill provides all kinds of grindhouse thrills, keeps up the pace, and imbues everything with an infectious glee.
Posted May 12, 2024
|
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2.5/4
|
Sorceress
(1983)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
Though 'Sorceress' falls far below Hill's usual standards, it definitely works as a so-bad-it's-good camp classic.
Posted May 12, 2024
|
|
3/4
|
The Man With the X-Ray Eyes
(1963)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
A rather inventive little "B" movie, with ambitious, sci-fi appeal.
Posted May 12, 2024
|
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3/4
|
The Fall Guy
(2024)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
The real secret to the movie's success is the remarkable chemistry between Gosling and Blunt... I can't even remember the last time I so full-heartedly rooted for an onscreen couple to find their romantic spark.
Posted May 04, 2024
|
|
3/4
|
Dogfight
(1991)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
The small, touching Dogfight mainly works because of the immense skill, presence, and chemistry of its two stars.
Posted Apr 26, 2024
|
|
3/4
|
Death Rides a Horse
(1969)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
The work of director Petroni ('Tepepa') is un-flashy, and a little staid for a Spaghetti Western, but it gets the job done.
Posted Apr 12, 2024
|
|
3.5/4
|
Civil War
(2024)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
It would have been momentarily amusing, and ultimately pointless, to satirically skewer one side or the other, but what Garland has done is far more useful.
Posted Apr 12, 2024
|
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3.5/4
|
Love Lies Bleeding
(2024)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
English filmmaker Rose Glass's follow-up to her searing 'Saint Maud' is not another horror film, but an almost-as-intense queer road romance with murder and fits of 'roid rage.
Posted Mar 29, 2024
|
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3.5/4
|
Carol Doda Topless at the Condor
(2024)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
Balanced in a thoughtful and nuanced manner, finding the gray areas between arguments.
Posted Mar 29, 2024
|
|
3/4
|
Home
(2008)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
It's a unique work of disturbing character poetry, though it may be a little too disturbing.
Posted Mar 29, 2024
|
|
3.5/4
|
Bartleby
(2001)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
It turns into a bone-dry comedy with enough weird touches to earn it a deserved cult status.
Posted Mar 06, 2024
|
|
3.5/4
|
Drive-Away Dolls
(2024)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
I think that what makes it even better than all that is its positivity. It's hard to think of another lesbian-led story that's so free-spirited, so joyous, so unabashed and unafraid of sex.
Posted Feb 23, 2024
|
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3.5/4
|
Hundreds of Beavers
(2022)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
My first thought when I encountered this movie was "how does it keep up this level of slapstick craziness for what seems to be an insane running time, 108 minutes?" The answer is "no problem, thanks."
Posted Feb 23, 2024
|
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4/4
|
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
(1988)
|
Jeffrey M. Anderson
|
It's an uncommonly mature, literate work, and one that embraces the erotic openly and without apprehension.
Posted Feb 20, 2024
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