Category: Movie Reviews
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The Host (English dubbed) (***1/2) on the verge
We’re never entirely scared, sometimes on the verge of laughing. Sometimes though, it is quite moving. Not sure these are selling points for a classic, but it is definitely not a waste of one’s evening.
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Orphan (***) the only thing unexpected is the brutality
We get the absolute creeps from Esther’s relentless mowing through one character after the other, innocent or not, knowing what it is she ultimately has in mind. Still, there is not enough here for more than a mild recommendation.
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Fantasy Island (**1/2) almost comes true
The two teenage girls I was with love this film. It is more than enough for one whose range of experience with movies is less jaded and more exuberant. For this viewer, it’s an average trip, less remarkable than pleasant.
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Gretel and Hansel (**) Mephistopheles is not your name
The dread / fascination with and of Krige feels more like a weekend spent with a widowed aunt who just can’t wait to tell you her recipe for fruitcake.
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Birds of Prey… (****): On their knees for no one
“…Yan and Hodson strike a nice balance between feminine wile and Deadpool comic brutality. The film might seem derivative, were it not for Robbie’s complete absorption into the humor and brutal comic lunacy of Gotham without Batman looming. ”
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The Turning (**) doesn’t make it all the way around
There isn’t enough here to qualify for halfway satisfying. If they had pushed a little harder to complete the circle, maybe. Not this. This is an incomplete scare handed off into thin air.
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Rambo Chronology: Blood and Putz
Come for the rankings, stay for the White Douchebag analysis.
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Mother (****1/2) is responsible
Bong is one of the best directors of his time, as evidenced by this year’s Parasite. His form is exceptional here, as he is able to strike every resonant chord of truth and still keep enough of a mystery for the viewer to hope.
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The Lighthouse (****1/2) Edge of the dark and stormy sea
This is an excellent film to watch unless you have cabin fever. Even if you do, it might help clear the air of the pretense of civility.
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The Gentlemen (****) enjoying the familiar
“If one knows and enjoys Guy Ritchie, this movie will not disappoint. It may not break any new ground, but it still feels fresh.”
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 