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A glossy film about the experience of a young stripper and a rich patron, Anora is funny, electric, and visually captivating in all the right ways. Plus, the soundtrack is amazing. I am a big fan of Sean Baker. He wrote and directed The Florida Project (a favorite of mine), Tangerine, and Take Out, and…
Okay, this is a love story. With outstanding cinematography and an incredible cast, Pride & Prejudice is a remarkable film that shocked me as much as it will shock you. A few years ago, when I decided that I wanted to watch Pride & Prejudice, I did a little research online. The overwhelming consensus at…
The Puffy Chair is a classic example of a movie-making “shiny thing,” as you think you’re supposed to be focusing on one area, but it’s everything else around that truly matters. An excellent character study that you never expect. I am a huge fan of indie films. I love when something of quality can be…
Fairy tales for adults are hard to come by, so Three Thousand Years Of Longing is an unexpected treat. With two big stars and rich storytelling, this is one to check out. When I was little, I enjoyed a good fairy tale. The mermaid who lost her voice, the long-haired blonde in the tower –…
With a very small cast and an understated vibe, Hope Gap is an impressive drama about the breakdown of a marriage. Not flashy and extremely layered, Bill Nighy and Annette Bening are excellent here. When one thinks of marriage, you think of something static – the joining of two people in union, until death do…
Dinner In America is one of my favorite movies of all time. It is wild and offensive and the best punk rock love story you’ll ever find. Sheer perfection. I watched Dinner In America a few years ago and I fell in love with it instantly. It took me about 20 minutes to get a…
By looking at the movie poster, I had no idea what Fallen Angels would be like or what it would be about. And now, having finished the movie, the poster makes total sense. While some movies take decades to write, direct, edit, and put together, others feel very different. Like no one really wrote them,…
I would have thought that a movie starring Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen would have been really interesting and engaging. Unfortunately, with Closer, I was wrong. There are some films that seem promising, have a great cast, and an intriguing premise that just end up to be duds. This is a…
A chosen family can be a real family, but it’s important to know what you are getting into. In American Honey, a slice-of-life film about a girl and the group of travelers that she joins, figuring out where you fit in is a fascinating journey in and of itself. There are some movies that are…
When you have the opportunity to see a filmed musical, it can go either way, but Waitress: The Musical is a fantastic example of how it should be done. Many of you know that I am a Chicago theatre critic, so one of my day jobs (and life passions) is seeing a lot of theatre….
Not every film can hit it out of the park, and In A World… is the perfect movie to put on in the background. Not bad and not outstanding, it is just entertaining enough. We need light and fluffy comedies in this world. There is so much stress and weight on each one of us…
A delightful comedy about two couples trying to help each other, The Wedding Banquet is a welcome addition to the complicated relationships genre. I’m totally here for it. A chosen family is a very valuable thing. We aren’t always born into a family that sees us for who we are or knows how we need…
