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period piece

Sundance 2021: “Eight for Silver” lacks bark and bite

Eight for Silver
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Sean Ellis’ werewolf period piece is a humorless medley of conflicting approaches that somehow ends up dull.

Matt Cipolla Posted on January 31, 2021January 30, 2021

The true pride of “Black Narcissus” is in its performances

Black Narcissus
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FX and BBC’s adaptation of Rumer Godden’s 1939 novel is a well-acted and handsomely mounted, if baggy, miniseries.

Megan Sunday Posted on November 23, 2020November 23, 2020

“Mank” is a tragedy, not a love letter

Mank
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David Fincher’s biopic of Citizen Kane writer Herman J. Mankiewicz is a slick, cynical reframing of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Matt Cipolla Posted on November 17, 2020December 5, 2020

“F Is for Family” again in its fourth season, but F is no longer for funny

F Is for Family
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The return of Netflix’s adult animated sitcom brings with it a few moving moments and arcs, but it’s too lacking in laughs.

Tim Stevens Posted on June 10, 2020June 18, 2020

“The Vast of Night” is a fuzzy, evocative sci-fi debut

The Vast of Night
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Andrew Patterson’s tale of strange goings-on in ’50s New Mexico is full of detail, even if it doesn’t reach its full potenial.

Michael Snydel Posted on May 27, 2020May 27, 2020

“Seberg” is a political thriller with no real point of view

Seberg
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Benedict Andrews’ retelling of FBI’s pursuit of the French New Wave star under the Hoover administration relies far too heavily on broad stokes.

Matt Cipolla Posted on May 16, 2020July 2, 2020

“Valley Girl” is far from high art, but that’s part of the fun

Valley Girl
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Rachel Lee Goldenberg’s remake of the 1983 rom-com is a light, airy work of kitsch that’s easy to fall into.

Dot Green Posted on May 8, 2020May 7, 2020

“Thousand Pieces of Gold” remains a layered tale of colonialism

Thousand Pieces of Gold
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Newly restored in 4K by Indiecollect and released by Kino Lorber, Nancy Kelly’s 1991 western softly explores racial and gender-based oppression in late-1800s America.

Michael Snydel Posted on April 27, 2020April 27, 2020

“True History of the Kelly Gang” Looks at Australian Folklore with Mixed Results

True History of the Kelly Gang
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Justin Kurzel puts manhood, infamous 1800s criminals, and the first feature film ever made into a bushranging blender.

Matt Cipolla Posted on April 22, 2020July 2, 2020

“First Cow” Breezes Through the West with Peace and Patience

First Cow
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Kelly Reichardt’s latest is a kindhearted storybook of a film that gracefully balances the sights, sounds, and textures of pre-Gold Rush Oregon.

Matt Cipolla Posted on March 10, 2020July 2, 2020

Emma. Review: More Merry Than Wise

Emma.
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Autumn de Wilde’s straightforward adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel has its charming moments, but that doesn’t make up for its missed opportunities.

Matt Cipolla Posted on February 25, 2020July 2, 2020

Troop Zero Review: Lite-le Miss Sunshine

Troop Zero
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Amazon Prime’s girl scout comedy wastes its cast and period setting to make for an involving, generically cute indie.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on January 21, 2020January 22, 2020

Just Mercy Review: Conviction Brought Down by Convention

Just Mercy
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Destin Daniel Cretton’s legal drama has its moments of impact and an impressive cast, but it’s far too lopsided to stick the landing.

Matt Cipolla Posted on January 7, 2020July 2, 2020

Invisible Life Review: A Truthful, Timeless Tragedy

Invisible Life
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Karim Aïnouz’s latest is an ambitious adaptation of two women separated by the patriarchy and the loneliness of family.

Matt Cipolla Posted on January 2, 2020July 2, 2020

“Revolutionary Road” and the Lost Art of Knowing What Isn’t Special

Revolutionary Road
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Sam Mendes’s tale of forlorn love works best as a study of the pitfalls that litter the American Dream.

Ben Kaye Posted on December 26, 2019December 26, 2019

A Hidden Life Review: Forging Our Own Idea of God

A Hidden Life
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Terrence Malick’s three-hour opus examines the links between the theological, the empirical, and the absurdist in his best film in almost a decade.

Matt Cipolla Posted on December 16, 2019July 2, 2020

The Aeronauts Review: Going to Heaven in a Handbasket

The Aeronauts
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Tom Harper’s ascent to the stratosphere has moments of tension, but they’re undercut by a choppy narrative and a shallow approach to its true story.

Matt Cipolla Posted on December 2, 2019July 2, 2020
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