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Winter Passing is a classic example of a pedestrian motion picture being lifted out of mediocrity by an arresting lead performance. Zooey Deschanel doesn't just elevate Winter Passing; she carries it. There are other things to be said in favor of...

Winter's Bone offers a case study in the essential philosophical differences between independent motion picture thrillers and Hollywood/mainstream ones. The third feature from director Debra Granik and winner of two awards at the 2010 Sundance Fil...

We live in a cynical world. A romantic fairy tale like Winter's Tale might have worked better in a kinder, gentler age but, in today's era of sarcasm and scorn, its flaws (of which there are many) are magnified. For something this sentimental to wo...

Wish is the brainchild of the Frozen production team, with director Chris Buck and writer Jennifer Lee re-teaming on the new project. Yet the magic they created with the 2013 Disney project (and, to a lesser extent, its sequel) is almost entirely ...

If all it took was verisimilitude and atmosphere to define a movie, The Witch would earn a near-perfect rating. Unfortunately, despite a creepily effective setting and authentic setup, the movie suffers as a result of a frustratingly uneven screenpla...

The Witches was the third and final foray into feature film fantasy made by the late Muppets creator, Jim Henson. Released shortly after his death, the movie followed in the footsteps of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth as opportunities to use H...

Once upon a time, Robert Zemeckis was a visionary filmmaker. His early resume reads like a list of well-remembered classics: Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, The Polar Express… But Zemeckis has fallen on hard times a...

Want to know why Paramount Pictures is struggling? Watch Without a Paddle and you'll gain some insight. At least the film understands what it is, as is indicated by the steaming pile of excrement that appears 2/3 of the way through the proceeding...

Technically, the full title of Without Remorse is Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse. However, any similarities between the film version (credited to Taylor Sheridan and Will Staples) and Clancy’s novel are seemingly coincidental. This is a comp...

Calling Witness a crime thriller is technically accurate, but it does this layered and dramatically compelling movie a disservice. In fact, Witness is much more than a thriller. It's a love story, a fish-out-of-water tale, and an examination of c...