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Dolphin Tale
Great 66 Points 2011

Winter’s tale propels a terrific family movie. Never mind that Winter – the dolphin whose rehab from disabling injury the movie lovingly portrays – is the movie’s only real character. The fictional human characters surrounding her are easy to root for, and laugh with.

They include a father…

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WikChip Image Great tale about a dolphin's amazing ...
Little Birds
Great 83 Points 2011

Small town BFFs get into big trouble in this high quality yet overlooked drama about disaffected youth. How disaffected? Both girls are from troubled households, though one has a good head on her shoulders. The other? A “cutter” and Mean Girl extraordinaire. Together they anchor a terrific i…

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WikChip Image Here comes trouble.
Temple Grandin
Very Good 66 Points 2010

Doubly fascinating and deeply touching, this HBO-made biopic rises well above run-of-the-mill TV movies, especially those derided as disease of the week. While deftly produced and acted, it largely shines due to the singularity of its subject, a noble pioneer in two important realms.

“Dr. T…

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WikChip Video Well done trailer, well done movie.
Please Give
Very Good 83 Points 2010

Everybody’s damaged in Please Give. Most are awful, some sweet, all adrift. Misanthropic, it generates frequent laughs at the expense of these modern Manhattanites. Think a more seriously inclined Seinfeld – from the feminine side. Not that …

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WikChip Image Big sis Amanda Peet: Skin deep beauty
Winter's Bone
Very Good 96 Points 2010

Heroism and bravery have a new name, and that name is Ree. Just 17 years old, Ree’s as brave and heroic as any movie hero ever. Played by stellar newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, her quest – Winter’s Bone being a quest movie – is so virtuous and she’s so intrepid, so true, that you know she’s boun…

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WikChip Video "Talking just causes witnesses."
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Cyrus
Very Good 88 Points 2010

Fingering two of society’s soft spots, Cyrus lampoons middle-aged singles looking for love and grown kids who’ve been emotionally indulged their entire overly-protected lives. Plus it generates plenty of LOL moments in the offing. Score.

John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill deliver great performa…

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WikChip Video Snow White and the Two Dorks
1 Reply
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Animal Kingdom
Good 66 Points 2010

Charismatic, disorienting and brooding, Animal Kingdom presents the truthy tale of an infamous crime family, including their murder of two Melbourne cops. The brooding gets a bit much by the third reel, weighing down what would otherwise be a great true-crime movie.

The charisma comes from …

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WikChip Video Infamous crime family, charismatic movie
Waiting for Sup...
None Yet 0 Points 2010
The Fighter
Really Great 88 Points 2010

New addition to the boxing movie canon? Absolutely, complete with elemental title, elemental story and devastating performances. A female power story as much as a male one, Melissa Leo, Christian Bale and Mark Walhberg’s maternal-fraternal triangle pegs the meter for codependency. When Amy Ada…

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WikChip Image All in the (dysfunctional) Family
Barney's Version
Very Good 83 Points 2010

I find self-loathing shmucks more annoying than interesting. So Barney’s Version – about a dissolute TV exec played by the redoubtable Paul Giamatti – surprised me by deepening into an affecting and intriguing drama in its third reel. Based on Mordecai Richler’s final novel, its literary pedig…

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WikChip Video Solid acting enlivens a solid novel