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![]() A cheated wife gets her revenge in The Other Woman by stealing the movie from “the other woman”. That would be Leslie Mann stealing from Cameron Diaz, the big star and a natural as the other woman. Mann is hilarious as a kookie wife who gets not just the last laugh, but most every other one a…
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Leslie Mann upstages Cameron Diaz, again
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![]() There’s No Business Like Show Business and there was no show business phonier than vaudeville, till movies. So an overtly phony movie about vaudeville makes for a phony convergence. It was perhaps the last of the musical extravaganzas, a calorically rich compendium of Irving Berlin’s showstoppi…
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Marilyn Monroe & Donald O'Connor: Sta...
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![]() The slippery slope of crime reached a peak cinematic representation in A Simple Plan. An ill-gotten gain sets the plot in motion, after which the movie follows an exquisite slide into further felonious excitations. This scratches several erogenous zones for lovers of crime cinema. We so enjoy…
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It's been a no good, very bad day.
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![]() Modern Family-style gender and role confusion provides ample grist for 90 minutes of scintillating cinematic fare in The Skeleton Twins. More sisters than brother & sister, said twins are played by Bill Hader & Kristen Wiig, confirming they’re the most talented SNL alumni on the scene today.
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More Sisters than Brother & Sister
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![]() Gone Girl stirs the pot, no doubt about that. Premiering amidst the NFL-stoked domestic violence uproar, this sordid thriller about a wife’s murder is akin to throwing gas on a fire. But never mind all that societal stuff, is it a good movie? Yes, a great one, albeit far from perfect. The es…
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Smile! Oops, maybe not.
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![]() Brilliance has never been more exquisitely appreciated than in Amadeus, with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s genius obsessively observed by Antonio Salieri, his lesser rival. Profound jealousy makes for such sweet sorrow, especially as snottily delivered by F. Murray Abraham in a stupendously juicy r…
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Sexy Opera, Very Sexy Opera
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![]() Nina Simone’s name and presence had occasionally penetrated my consciousness and always piqued my interest. Happily, this well done documentary finally brought her consequential music and politics alive. Dubbed the High Priestess of Soul, she was a unique and uniquely transfixing artist, fusin…
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Liz Garbus on her Nina Simone doc
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![]() Penélope Cruz is always worth watching, even in a somewhat forgettable romcom. Fortunately, Woman on Top is primarily set in San Francisco, giving it a second draw for viewers like me. But that’s about it. Her supporting cast can’t hold a candle to her, nor does the female empowerment script…
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BFFs who bathe together...
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![]() Lost in America’s reputation exceeds its reality. Modestly funny in 1985, its four memorable scenes live on in the mind’s eye, but fail to sustain this mere 91 minute movie. Turns out its nest-egg wasn’t enough. Not that it doesn’t have a great line here and there.
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"Oh I know, you mean the $100,000 box."
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![]() A Separation fascinates both as an absorbing domestic drama and a lens into contemporary Iran. That compelling combination has made it a worldwide sensation, the odds-on favorite to win Best Foreign Language Film at the upcoming Oscars. It presents two families drawn together by domestic n…
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Bergman in Paris? No. Hatami in Teh...
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