The South in the 1960s: Two Fantastic Stars Redeem a Screenplay That Plays It Too Safe in 'Green Book'

Dec 06, 2018 10:30  |  Bob Grimm

One of the directors of Dumb and Dumber and There’s Something About Mary goes solo for Green Book , his first “serious” feature effort.

Director Peter Farrelly, sans little brother Bobby, gives us a film tha...

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A Memoir With a Wallop: Lucas Hedges Amazes as a College Student Sent to a Conversion-Therapy Camp in 'Boy Erased'

Dec 06, 2018 09:15  |  Bob Grimm

Lucas Hedges continues to establish himself as one of his generation’s best actors as a young gay man forced into conversion therapy by his Baptist parents (Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman) in Boy Eras...

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Content Shifter: Eight Odd Christmas Excursions Worth Taking Online!

Dec 04, 2018 10:00  |  Bill Frost

Who doesn’t like Christmas?

OK, let me rephrase that: Who doesn’t like Christmas as experienced with a steady, carefully, legally (in California) maintained buzz throughout the final weeks of the year?...

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Home Video Review: Kurt Russell Brings a Welcome New Spin to Santa Claus in Netflix's 'Christmas Chronicles'

Dec 03, 2018 13:00  |  Bob Grimm

Kurt Russell might be the best Santa Claus ever in Netflix’s The Christmas Chronicles , a inconsistent but ultimately enjoyable movie that is sure to make it into a lot of holiday-movie rotations for th...

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A Credible 'Creed' Sequel: Boxing, Not Nationalism, Is the Focus in This Film—Which Actually Redeems 'Rocky IV' a Bit

Nov 29, 2018 10:30  |  Bob Grimm

I’ve always hated Rocky IV . I’m pretty sure my life as a movie critic started in 1985 when my heart sank as I watched it in a crowded, overly enthusiastic theater with a bunch of friends.

Walking out of...

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A Fine Follow-Up: Viola Davis Is Fantastic in Director Steve McQueen's New Thriller, 'Widows'

Nov 29, 2018 09:15  |  Bob Grimm

Writer-director Steve McQueen follows up his Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave with Widows , an above-average thriller made very watchable thanks to a terrific performance by Viola Davis.

Davis plays Veronica...

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Home Video Review: Netflix Proves It's an Original-Film Player With the Coen Brothers' Western Anthology 'Buster Scruggs'

Nov 27, 2018 15:30  |  Bob Grimm

Netflix is becoming a haven for the very best directors. Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma will debut on the streaming service on Dec. 14 after a very brief theatrical run. Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Paul Gree...

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Fiery Family Drama: Four Fantastic Performances in 'Wildlife' Make Paul Dano's Directing Debut an Uncomfortable Success

Nov 22, 2018 10:30  |  Bob Grimm

Fine performances bolster Wildlife , Paul Dano’s excellent directorial debut. The movie, about a family falling apart in the early 1960s, is sometimes uncomfortable—just as it’s supposed to be, consider...

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