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I guess seeing Robert De Niro in movies like this one is the price we pay for him once again working with Martin Scorsese. While the Scorsese films are unquestionably more creatively satisfying, they aren’t budgeted at a level designed to keep t...

Years ago, while watching Delicatessen (in 1992) and The City of Lost Children (in 1995), I wondered which of the co-directors, Jean-Pierre Jeunet or Marc Caro, was more responsible for the films' quirky tone and striking visual style. Although Ca...

American Fiction is the best kind of satire – one that is full-throated in its message, which it delivers with a cutting edge, while simultaneously taking the time to develop the characters in a meaningful way. However, although the ending honor...

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home - except when you can't figure out where "home" is. That uncertainty underlies the dynamics of Sarah Gavron's Brick Lane, an adaptation of the novel by Monica Ali. However, while the film tackles t...

Was it only six years ago that every Marvel movie was greeted with unbridled anticipation and around-the-clock showings that delivered box office records? Although Disney executives have been quick to blame the pandemic for the decline of the MCU,...

Despite being blessed with well-designed period sets and top-tier acting, this collaboration between Downton Abbey writer Julian Fellowes and director Michael Engler fails to take flight. I’m not one who normally issues demerits for a slow p...

In 2010, anti-Semitism exists (witness Mel Gibson's drunken rant for an overt example), but in 1947, it was ingrained in the bedrock of society. The strides made by American culture during the past 60-plus years have advanced the level of toleranc...

Robert Downey, Sr. is an original American independent film maker. He has been at his craft for more than 30 years now -- his debut, Chafed Elbows, came out in 1965. His best known work, the trilogy of Putney Swope, Pound, and Greaser's Palace, w...

In a way, Jane Austen Wrecked My Life feels like a case of bait-and-switch. By putting the celebrated 19th century author’s name in such a prominent position, there might be an expectation that the film would be a little more Austen-centric tha...

Calling a movie a “fairy tale” and having Julie Andrews provide “Once Upon a Time…” bookend narration are not sufficient reasons to abandon things like intelligent plotting and compelling character development. For years, various Disney ...