Birds of Prey (Yan, 2020)
My problem going into Birds of Prey was one the film was perhaps aware of but still never solved: Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) is a mess of contradictions. She is… Continue reading "Birds of Prey (Yan, 2020)"
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Dolittle (Gaghan, 2020)
I happened to screen Dolittle on the same morning I got a newsletter update from a non-profit about the Australian wildfires. I am told that over one billion animals have… Continue reading "Dolittle (Gaghan, 2020)"
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The King’s Speech — 10 Years Later (Hooper, 2010)
There were few films from 2019 about which critics were in greater lockstep than Tom Hooper’s adaptation of the stage musical Cats. I can’t say that I was particularly surprised… Continue reading "The King’s Speech — 10 Years Later (Hooper, 2010)"
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2019 Top Ten
I have been making these lists for two decades now, so if you are here, you probably don’t need me to remind you that these are my “favorite” film experiences… Continue reading "2019 Top Ten"
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Cats (Hooper, 2019)
There is an early episode of The Simpsons, oft-quoted in the Morefield household, in which Mr. Burns hires MLB All-Stars to play as ringers on the corporate softball team and… Continue reading "Cats (Hooper, 2019)"
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Richard Jewell (Eastwood, 2019)
For the first fifteen minutes or so, I worried that Richard Jewell was going to be little more than director Clint Eastwood caricaturizing law-enforcement and the media in some sort… Continue reading "Richard Jewell (Eastwood, 2019)"
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63 Up (Apted, 2019)
I approached 63 Up with two metanarratives about the series wrestling to frame my experience. The first narrative — and seemingly the more common one based on early reviews —… Continue reading "63 Up (Apted, 2019)"
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Charlie’s Angels (Banks, 2019)
As I write this, the newest entry of Charlie’s Angels has one hundred and eighteen (118) reviews aggregated at the website Rotten Tomatoes. Soon to be one hundred and nineteen.… Continue reading "Charlie’s Angels (Banks, 2019)"
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Jojo Rabbit and Huck Finn
Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit has emerged from the fall festival circuit as the still-early-but-not-way-too-early leader in the clubhouse for awards season. It won the People’s Choice Award at Toronto (as… Continue reading "Jojo Rabbit and Huck Finn"
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Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable (Lieber, 2018)
Unstoppable, a documentary sharing professional surfer Bethany Hamilton’s journey, left me mesmerized, not only by her talent but by her incredible determination to succeed. This beautifully filmed documentary shares Hamilton’s… Continue reading "Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable (Lieber, 2018)"