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Boy, do I wish I could say, “black bag” when I don’t want to answer questions or relay information. “Would you rather have cheese or cake?” “Black bag.” Films about undercover operations can be a lot of fun. Seeing (what we perceive to be) what happens behind closed doors in the inner-workings of secret spy…
Any movie with Maggie Smith is an attractive one, and in Quartet, she is a star. I just wish that the film had a little more oomph and a little more magic. I would argue that there aren’t enough movies that focus on older people living their lives. You get many stories where grandma is…
While we are all looking for little miracles here and there, this film about a woman’s hours of clarity while dealing with dementia did not hit the way I was hoping. Dementia is a topic that many of us have been touched by. We have loved ones and family friends whose loved ones are managing…
A heart-wrenching look at one man’s battle to provide a life for his son while navigating his illegal immigration status, A Better Life is a hard hitter. Immigration is such a hot-button topic in the United States right now that getting down to an individual family or community is often the best way to try…
Choosing to name a main character Nemo is a daring feat in this day and age. I should have known that Mr. Nobody was going to be different right from the get-go. The thing about any movie that stars Jared Leto is that you know it’s going to be a little eccentric. Once he graduated…
The Reader is not at all what I thought it would be. Two imperfect people at different times of their lives, still connected, but still strangers. I found it captivating. I absolutely love when I go into a movie blind and it turns out to be something so spellbinding that I am not only completely…
They say that there are no original ideas, but when it comes to film, that’s not entirely true. The Double is a little film that makes you think, and in its own way, it stands out in the crowd. Many feel like they don’t exist in this world. They walk through a crowd or visit…
While Shakespeare would have us believing in star crossed lovers, I’ve never been so sure. Portrait Of A Lady On Fire is making the same argument, so now there is another fighter in the ring. There are a lot of historical fiction films centered around proper love stories, with lots of bowing, head nods, and…
I love a film that starts in neutral territory and slowly builds such that you don’t know where all your investment and emotion came from. That was The Penguin Lessons for me. Plus, penguin! Films based on real stories usually go one of two ways – it is a great story, but the film lacks…
There are some movies that you have to watch because they are so good that they wreck you. But heartbreak and its lasting effects can be important – and that’s what Lilya 4-ever is. There have been many movies that I’ve thought about long after they were over, but there have been only a dozen…
Sometimes, seeing is believing. And when you think your world is full of robins and rainbows, you might just find a severed ear on the lawn. I have heard rumblings of Blue Velvet for decades, but I never got around to watching it. There was no rhyme or reason, it’s just a film I’d subconsciously…
One of my very favorite romantic comedies, The Big Sick is a movie that you can watch over and over. It’s funny, it’s clever, and it may have fallen below the radar, so add it to your list! The Big Sick is one of those movies that struck me deeply the first time I watched…
