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The Midwife has two things going for it: Catherine Frot and Catherine Deneuve. There’s no disputing the quality of acting in this film, at least insofar as the leads are concerned. Unfortunately, almost everything else in Martin Provost’s ...

If David Lynch and David Mamet can do it, why not Danny Boyle? I'm talking about hard-R directors suddenly producing a film that is suitable for family viewing. Lynch and Mamet both went G several years ago (Lynch with The Straight Story and Mamet wi...

On those rare occasions when a great motion picture reaches multiplexes, the film critic must add another aspect to his or her job description: that of cheerleader. It is incumbent upon those of us who routinely dissect movies to applaud the arriv...

With a movie like this, it’s necessary (however difficult) to put politics aside. Despite what the blurbs say, Miss Sloane isn’t really about the Second Amendment. It isn’t about gun rights; it’s about how easy it is to peddle...

The Mist is what a horror film should be - dark, tense, and punctuated by just enough gore to keep the viewer's flinch reflex intact. In fact, that movie's ending is so uncompromising that one must assume director Frank Darabont had final cut so t...

81-year old Ousmane Sembene has been called "the most important cinematic voice ever to come out of Africa," yet because of the quirks of the distribution system and the American movie-goer's acknowledged distaste for anything unfamiliar, none of t...

When it comes to fantasy and soft science fiction, the concept of “world building” is at least as important as narrative and character development. “World building” refers to the ability of an author or filmmaker to craft a new and ama...

Mr. Turner, Mike Leigh's chronicle of the last 25 years in the life of painter J.M.W. Turner (Timothy Spall), is most notable not for its slow pacing, outstanding acting, or accurate period detail, but for the cinematography by Dick Pope. Pope, w...

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris matches the tone and aesthetic of one of those feel-good, highbrow art house films that were popular during the 1990s and 2000s. (It’s not quite on the same level as Enchanted April but is better than The Best Exotic Mar...