Category: 4.5 Stars
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Criterion: Yojimbo and Sanjuro – The Masters at play (****1/2)
It’s a pleasant consequence of having the skill to turn above average into the unforgettable. These films should not be important bedrock films. Yet here they are, standing head and shoulders above, almost 60 years later.
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Criterion: The Bad Sleep Well (****1/2) Pigs on the Wing
Like anything Kurosawa does by now, it’s completely worthwhile and a keeper for the memory book. No one has better control of the images one sees through lighting, angles and dialogue. He controls the mood of the viewer at his whim. It’s hard to imagine a better film maker from his time.
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BlacKkKlansman (****1/2) greatness mixed with prejudice
Spike Lee makes a great film, then he takes a dump in the credits with easily refuted claims through selected editing. Why?
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Criterion: The Life of Oharu (****1/2)-Miss Misery
Like the best art, we learn something about humanity and the will to persevere.
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Criterion: Paper Moon (****1/2) is still a delight
This is the perfect film for Criterion treatment.
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Criterion: Chaplin's The Circus (****1/2) is a high wire act
Chaplin is definitely going to be on my list for future watches. I had avoided him to now because through local television, I grew up on Harold Lloyd. I figured if you’ve seen one, you’d seen them all. I really do need to see them all.
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Hoosiers vs. The Way Back (****1/2)
Two basketball movies that seem similar, but couldn’t be farther apart.
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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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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.
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 