recent product reviews
First Man (2018)
An engaging portrait of space history’s most interesting guy, and an authentic capture of the sights and sounds of early space travel. The subject matter is treated with reverence and authenticity. Anyone who enjoyed The Right Stuff would appreciate this one. I really like how this not a story about…
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Three Identical Strangers (2018)
A polished collection of interviews, reenactments, and stock footage tells an interesting and disturbing story. But I can’t help but feel that it was all stretched out a bit. This probably could have been cut down by half.
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Free Solo (2018)
This guy is absolutely nuts, and the decision to film it, putting their own lives at risk and potentially throwing off his focus as he climbed, was also absolutely nuts. If you keep reminding yourself that there are no ropes and no special effects here, it really makes the whole…
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A Quiet Place (2018)
Great idea for a movie, and really well-made. Hitchcockian in its suspenseful simplicity. I love how small and simple and clean the story is. This is a very lean script. Every scene is functional, a set-up for something that comes later. Things are so suspenseful that some scenes are truly…
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A Bronx Tale (1993)
The whole thing feels like it came from a play, and that’s not necessarily a good thing when it’s a movie. Very singular plot. Boy meets gangster and then meets a black woman, with some superficial neighborhood social stuff as a backdrop. Crappy editing, with weird timing and a few…
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Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
Great performance by Malek, who really hasn’t done a lot of real dramatic work before. He obviously did a lot of work to channel Freddie. His vocals are sensational, though research reveals that he had some help there. And based on interviews I’ve seen with the Mercury, the accent seems…
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Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
A classic whodunnit told with modern polish and grace. Definitely a lot like Sherlock Holmes. In fact, these might be more true to the spirit of classic Sherlock Holmes than the recent films by Guy Ritchie. Branagh’s mustache and accent were wonderful. I enjoyed the casting of familiar faces, fresh…
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American Made (2017)
With the guns and drugs, there’s an attempt to make the story edgy. With the 80’s film styles and sets and cars and music, there’s an attempt to make this movie cool and retro and stylish. With the archival interviews and fun edits, there’s an attempt to make the storytelling…
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2012 (2009)
Lowest common denominator Emmerich garbage. Story is paint-by-numbers, evenly lit scenes give the movie a sterility that is ruined even more with CGI ugliness, intrusive and manipulative scoring replaces real emotion, obnoxious sound effects hit you over the head to make sure you know what just whizzed by or blew…
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I'm a photographer, web developer, travel enthusiast, and movie buff living in Alexandria, Virginia, USA.In the summer of 1993, I started writing reviews for every movie I saw and haven't looked back. I'm up to 2,371 reviews now. This makes me cool or a complete dork, depending on your perspective.
Some of these reviews contain spoilers, so if that bothers you, don't read!
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