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Where’d You Go, Bernadette Review: Get Lost

Jason Gorber — Fri, 16 Aug 2019 12:00:21 +0000

As per its title, Where’d You Go, Bernadette is better at asking questions than delivering answers. It’s a strange film, with A-list performers and a sensitive director producing a work that feels maudlin and messy, little more than some TV movie trifle. Bernadette Fox (Cate Blanchett) is a curmudgeonly neighbor, derisive of everyone and everything...

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‘Downsizing’ Review: Small People, Big Ideas

Philip Brown — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 17:00:49 +0000

Alexander Payne, the American filmmaker more interested in little people and small moments than any other, has decided to make a science fiction movie. ‘Downsizing’ is unquestionably his biggest production to date. But with Payne being Payne, it’s also a movie about letting go and embracing the small things in life. On a certain level,...

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TIFF Journal: ‘Downsizing’

Philip Brown — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 15:00:57 +0000

Alexander Payne is the least likely filmmaker one would expect to make a sweeping sci-fi thinkpiece, and that’s exactly why ‘Downsizing’ is so intriguing. The writer/director who dedicated his career to mining the small moments of life for rich emotions and laughs has made a big science fiction film that somehow stays true to his...

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‘Despicable Me 3’ Review: Another Middling Minions Movie

Luke Hickman — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 19:00:53 +0000

The relatively young Universal-backed animation studio Illumination created a golden goose in 2010 with its first movie, ‘Despicable Me’, and has been on a successful roll ever since. Unfortunately, just as happened to DreamWorks Animation and Pixar, Illumination is now caught in a deadly cycle. Its release calendar only lists sequels, spinoffs and remakes, and...

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‘Masterminds’ Review: Sublimely Silly

Philip Brown — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 14:00:10 +0000

‘Masterminds’ is just a little bit too weird for its own good. That’ll be exactly what makes the proud few who fall for this collection of eccentricity to fall deeply and what will drive everyone else away. Fair enough. The best comedies tend to be divisive. ‘Masterminds’ is definitely one of the funniest movies I’ve...

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‘Sausage Party’ Review: Dirty Pixar

Philip Brown — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 19:00:38 +0000

We aren’t quite there yet, but there will come a point when people recognize that Seth Rogen is actually a little underappreciated. He’s made some crap, sure, but when the guy actually writes and controls his projects with partner Evan Goldberg, there’s always some sort of clever genre game, surprisingly layer of emotional honesty, or...

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‘Ghostbusters’ (2016) Review: I Ain’t ‘Fraid of No Trolls

Philip Brown — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 12:00:18 +0000

Honestly, how did we get to the point where a remake of ‘Ghostbusters’ is the most politicized movie of 2016? The female-led reboot is the most downvoted YouTube trailer of all time with a parade of fanboys wailing about ruined childhoods and major media outlets crying misogyny against anyone who holds such an opinion. It’s...

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Poll: Will You Go See the ‘Ghostbusters’ Reboot?

Josh Zyber — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 16:00:20 +0000

Ever since the project was first announced, the all-female reboot of ‘Ghostbusters’ was met with great skepticism from fans of the original movie. When the first trailer was revealed earlier this year, it quickly became the most hated video in the history of YouTube. Now that the movie’s just a couple weeks away from being...

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‘Zoolander 2’ Review: Acceptable, If Nothing Special

Philip Brown — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 14:00:50 +0000

Comedy sequels ain’t easy. Like hearing the same joke twice, it just won’t be quite as funny the second time, no matter how amusing the telling. Only a handful of examples manage to match or top their originals, but those are the exceptions, not the rule. That’s certainly true of ‘Zoolander 2’, a sequel that...

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‘The Diary of a Teenage Girl’ Review: Poignant, Funny and Uncomfortable

Philip Brown — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 14:00:51 +0000

Few films about teenagers (especially teen girls) capture that fragile era of life with the necessary level of awkward pain, discomfort and confusion. Teen stories are typically all about raunchy ruckus or inspirational coming-of-age. Marielle Heller’s directorial debut ‘The Diary of a Teenage Girl’, based on the acclaimed prose/graphic novel by Phoebe Gloeckner, dives into...

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‘Welcome to Me’ Review: Brilliantly Bitter and Bleak Comedy

Philip Brown — Thu, 21 May 2015 16:00:14 +0000

Kristin Wiig continues to avoid conventional comedy stardom following the massive success of ‘Bridesmaids’ with yet another oddball indie project, and this one is easily her best yet. Produced by Adam McKay and Will Ferrell’s dependably demented Gary Sanchez Productions, ‘Welcome to Me’ is the type of twisted comedy that could only exist thanks to...

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Weekend Movies: Kicking Off Summer with a Thud

Luke Hickman — Fri, 01 May 2015 17:00:38 +0000

And… we’re off. ‘Furious 7’ gave us a taste of big movie tentpoles to come, but now the blockbuster-filled summer of spectacles is upon us. Setting a high bar and christening the season is the Marvel sequel that’s not only expected to be the biggest movie of the season, but have the biggest opening of...

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