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Category Archive: Movies

Coverage of everything hitting the big screen, from big-budget blockbusters to independent arthouse fare.

“After Midnight,” or horror as couples therapy

After Midnight
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Shudder’s latest is at least as much a relationship drama as a monster movie, but somehow isn’t bad.

Gena Radcliffe Posted on February 10, 2021February 9, 2021

“Saint Maud” and the horror of utter devotion

Saint Maud
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Rose Glass writes and directs an unforgettably creepy story about a troubled young nurse’s efforts to save her patient’s soul.

Gena Radcliffe Posted on February 10, 2021February 10, 2021

Sundance 2021: “Ma Belle, My Beauty” is a sexy nothing

Ma Belle, Ma Beauty
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The romantic drama is all beautiful, dreamy surface, and no depth.

Peter Sobczynski Posted on February 10, 2021February 12, 2021

The lazy musical drama “Music” hits every sour note possible

Music
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Even beyond its handling of its autistic character, “Music” is a terribly constructed film.

Douglas Laman Posted on February 9, 2021February 10, 2021

“Dead Pigs” is a delightful and quirky satire

Dead Pigs
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Cathy Yan’s debut feature already shows an assured and clever director’s eye.

Reyzando Nawara Posted on February 9, 2021February 8, 2021

“Minari” lives on the seeds of its inspirations

Minari
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Lee Isaac Chung’s Sundance winner is a well-intentioned and sweet family drama that can’t help but feel incomplete.

Matt Cipolla Posted on February 9, 2021December 7, 2020

Sundance 2021: “On the Count of Three” is a dark, formidable first feature

Sundance On the Count of Three
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Jerrod Carmichael’s feature debut straddles a delicate balance of tones between comedy and dark thriller, buoyed by a couple of strong performances.

Michael Frank Posted on February 8, 2021February 8, 2021

P.S.H. I Love You: “Patch Adams” is dead on arrival

Patch Adams
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Robin Williams smarms his way through his misguided, treacly 1998 medical dramedy.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on February 8, 2021February 8, 2021

Hit the open trail with the thoughtful drama “Cowboys”

Cowboys
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Giddy on up with Cowboys and its unique take on the hallmarks of the Western genre.

Douglas Laman Posted on February 8, 2021February 7, 2021

“Little Fish” is a pandemic-set love story you don’t have to throw back

Little Fish (IFC Films)
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Olivia Cooke and Jack O’Connell shine in a melodramatic, but immersive romantic tragedy that mimics the isolation and loss of our current moment.

Oluwatayo Adewole Posted on February 7, 2021February 7, 2021

Sundance 2021: “Land” is a moving character study

Land
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Robin Wright makes her directorial debut in a tender & understated drama about a woman who isolates herself from the world after an unimaginable loss.

Reyzando Nawara Posted on February 7, 2021February 7, 2021

“A Nightmare Wakes” does its subject no favors

A Nightmare Wakes
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The Shudder original turns the creation of “Frankenstein” into bad psychodrama theater.

Gena Radcliffe Posted on February 6, 2021February 6, 2021

“PVT CHAT” offers a peep show into parasocial obsession

PVT CHAT (Dark Star)
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The latest from NYC-based filmmaker Ben Hozie is a taut drama about sex, money, and the Internet.

Theo Estes Posted on February 5, 2021February 5, 2021

Rodney Ascher looks for simulations and finds “A Glitch in the Matrix”

A Glitch in the Matrix
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Rodney Ascher’s psychedelic documentary takes seriously the idea that we’re all living in a simulation, and stirringly explores the parameters of that premise.

Sean Price Posted on February 5, 2021February 5, 2021

Sundance 2021: “Fire in the Mountains” is a strange time in the Himalayas

Sundance Fire in the Mountains
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Arjitpal Singh’s drama about a rural family in the Himalayas struggling to get by leans on strong performances and interlocking class critiques.

Soham Gadre Posted on February 5, 2021February 5, 2021

Sundance 2021: “Superior” reinvents the neo-noir

Sundance Superior
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Erin Vassilopoulos’ thrilling debut merrily plays with the film noirs of the past while spinning it into something vibrant and new.

Shea Vassar Posted on February 5, 2021February 5, 2021

“Two of Us” is a sumptuous game of queer hide-and-seek

Two of Us
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Martine Chevallier and Barbara Sukowa shine in Filippo Meneghetti’s achingly tragic debut.

B.L. Panther Posted on February 2, 2021February 2, 2021

“Fake Famous” asks the question, “What price Instagram fame?”

Fake Famous (HBO)
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Nick Bilton’s documentary-slash-zoomer ethnography investigates whether you can game your way to social media fame.

Sarah Gorr Posted on February 2, 2021February 2, 2021

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