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![]() Emotional Savages would be a more apt title for this examination of petty narcissists forced to depend on each other. They are an elderly father and his two grown children, making the story recognizable to a generation of baby boomers, many of whom are dealing with similar responsibilities. |
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![]() Great – if sadly flawed – exploration of the early California oil industry, dramatized through the exploits of an entrepreneurial ogre. A Chinatown for Oil, the movie serves as fascinating Golden State period piece and socialist screed, decrying the imagined crimes of tycoons as it celebrates … |
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![]() Well intentioned flop: the comedy never inspires laughs and the drama never hits home. Nonetheless, the great concept – oddball father drags practical daughter on a real treasure hunt through modern day suburbia – and the likable performances by Evan Rachel Wood and Michael Douglas make this wat… |
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![]() Nicole Kidman goes to her estranged sister’s wedding. Jennifer Jason Leigh, said brilliant and beautiful sister, is marrying Jack Black, a buffoon who spectacularly overestimates himself. Classic Jack Black. Speaking of spectacular, Kidman’s Margot is a spectacularly successful fiction write…
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Who says you can't go home again?
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![]() Sad, sweet and ultimately redemptive, Rails & Ties uses two tragic turns of event to trigger an ironic story about how character and hope can win out in the end. Likely to find an audience over time, this soulful movie is deeply cathartic for those touched by cancer, childless marriage, suicid…
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Like Father, Like Daughter
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![]() Very funny ensemble piece about a man and his family struggling to move beyond the long-ago death of his wife, Smart People deftly skewers the low EQ of some high IQ people.1 Dennis Quaid and Sarah Jessica Parker are perfectly serviceable in not very likable roles. Good thing Thomas Haden C… |
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![]() Bleakly terrific, this compelling movie delivers sufficient tension, human interest and muckraking to qualify as an indie classic. Outstanding performances, especially by Melissa Leo, coupled with rookie filmmaker Courtney Hunt’s well crafted story and production, show why this engaging drama wo… |
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![]() This surprisingly effective revenge thriller plays better than its formulaic trailer might suggest. The mix of A-List star, well written script and competent direction injects plenty of life into an implausible set-up and the resulting cat-and-mouse games.
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A-List Star Slumming = Movie Worth Se...
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![]() A finely observed familial drama about siblings dealing with the death of their mother and the disposition of their museum-like childhood home, Summer Hours disdains standard movie drama. It’s edgeless, a film for two mature cohor…
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Mother and Daughter of Privilege
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![]() An elemental movie that spills the beans about a spectacularly dishonest “sport,” The Wrestler makes few false moves, provides a showcase for Mickey Rourke’s instantly legendary performance, and proves to be an involving, affecting and punch-funny movie.
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The Thinker as The Wrestler
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