‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’ leans into dark roots, loses cohesion
Ann Liu/Staff
Unfortunately, in setting up and revealing a secret history, the film strives to pave an unmarked road, simultaneously traveling across it.
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Smells like trying too hard: ‘Teen Spirit’ fails to deliver at every turn
The film, while at times visually interesting, scarcely graduates beyond vibrant lights, inexplicable horse shots and a hardly compelling underdog of a protagonist.
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‘The Beguiled’ subverts male gaze through Sofia Coppola’s powerhouse direction
“The Beguiled” is a true testament to the woman behind the camera — a film with inspired visuals and masterful performances, and which imparts a needed feminist stamp on a story (the 1971 film starring Clint Eastwood, based on Thomas Cullinan’s novel of the same name) originally known for its pulp alone.
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‘Live By Night’ is criminally boring, (sometimes) offers engaging action
Ben Affleck pulls quadruple duty in “Live By Night” by directing, producing, writing and starring in the film. He proved himself as a director and producer with “Argo,” and he rose to fame by co-writing and co-starring in “Good Will Hunting.” As such, his directorial follow up “Live By Night”
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‘20th Century Women’ paints intimate, personal portrait of women: An interview with writer-director Mike Mills
If writer-director Mike Mills’ last feature film, 2010’s “Beginners,” is a portrait of his father — who at 75 years old came out of the closet — then his newest film “20th Century Women” is a tribute to his mother, who admired President Jimmy Carter and wore clanking bracelets around the
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Style shatters substance in ‘The Neon Demon’
“Beauty isn’t everything,” an unnamed fashion designer dramatically declares in “The Neon Demon.” “It’s the only thing.” Indeed, beauty reigns supreme in Nicolas Winding Refn’s latest psychological horror film. The plot is simple: sixteen-year old Jesse (Elle Fanning) is an aspiring model and industry newcomer. Jesse’s youthful, ethereal features not
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Jazz movie based on memoir struggles to hold high note
Amy-Jo is standing at the window, her preternatural smile emanating warmth as she looks down at her father crossing the busy street. It is Valentine’s Day. They have plans to meet, and this time, he is going to deliver. But just as her father reaches the littered sidewalk in front
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Creativity and craftsmanship reign in animated ‘Boxtrolls’
As animated films become more slick and commercial-looking — as CGI takes over not only backgrounds and motion but also character construction and whole projects — stop-motion only gets more charming and valuable. Richly textured, with a distinctly organic feel and the unmistakable stamp of handmade craft, the “The Boxtrolls”
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“Maleficent” stuns with sweeping visual brilliance
Disney movies have long featured, by way of beginning a story, an overwhelming spectacle, overawing the audience with the sweeping visual brilliance of those first 10 minutes. They have always understood that awe must act on us in our first impression of a film, and everything afterward will relax in
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“Super 8” brims with hackneyed plot lines and cliches
After much viral hype and speculation, the J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg alien epic “Super 8” has now landed in theaters. With a similar setup that Abrams used in “Cloverfield,” the film depicts a mystery-shrouded, violent alien and its encounters with Earth’s inhabitants. The story centers around a group of
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