BEIRUT film review

– By Cate Marquis – Jon Hamm shines in political thriller “Beirut” Jon Hamm finally gets the leading man role he has long deserved, in the Middle East-set thriller BEIRUT. It should have happened long ago for the former St. Louisan, based on his unforgettable turn in MAD MEN, if nothing else. Hamm is excellent…

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HAMILTON theater review

– By Cate Marquis – ‘Hamilton’ is everything you could wish for – except Lin-Manuel Miranda   Sometimes the hype exceeds the real thing but that is not the case for “Hamilton.” The highly anticipated Broadway tour delivers on all expectations. The only thing that could have made it better would be having creator Lin…

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1945 film review – by Mark Glass

– By Mark Glass – This subtitled Hungarian drama is highly reminiscent of one of Spencer Tracy’s Oscar-nominated outings, “Bad Day at Black Rock.” When a stranger comes to a small town, people start assuming he’s got a worrisome agenda, and they start scrambling to cover their guilty secrets. In this case, the small town…

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Oscar Winners 2018

    Best Picture: “The Shape of Water”   Best Director: “The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro   Best Actor: Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”   Best Actress: Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”   Best Supporting Actor: Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”   Best Supporting Actress: Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”  …

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Oscar Predictions 2018

– by Cate Marquis – It’s an annual favorite: predicting the Oscars. Who will win? Who should win? Who was overlooked? The 90th annual Academy Awards ceremony takes place March 4, 2018. If you have seen a lot of movies, you have your opinion on which are the best films and performances but will the…

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A FANTASTIC WOMAN film review

– by Cate Marquis –   Chilean director Sebastian Lelio’s A FANTASTIC WOMAN is indeed a fantastic film, with a fantastic performance by its star Daniela Vega, who plays a fantastic woman of dignity and grit facing prejudice because she is transgender, as she copes with the loss of her older lover. A FANTASTIC WOMAN…

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PHANTOM THREAD film review

– By Cate Marquis –   PHANTOM THREAD is a beautiful, seductive drama set in the rarefied world of high fashion in 1950s Britain. Director Paul Thomas Anderson re-teams with Daniel Day-Lewis, his star from 2007’s THERE WILL BE BLOOD, for a absorbing tale filled with mystery, danger and romance made more fascinating by Daniel…

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Rodgers and Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA at Fox theater review

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA brings magic to Fox – By Cate Marquis –   The Fox Theater brings a magical end to the holiday season with “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” a charming, funny musical that combines hummable tunes and a more modern take on the familiar tale, on stage from Dec. 27 to 31. This…

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CALL ME BY YOUR NAME film review

– By Cate Marquis – Director Luca Guadagnino explores coming-of-age and gay attraction in earlier, less-open times in Italy, in CALL ME BY YOUR NAME. The film is the third in the Italian director’s “Desire” trilogy, following 2009’s I AM LOVE and 2015’s A BIGGER SPLASH. Once again, Guadagnino explores passion in a beautiful Mediterranean…

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DARKEST HOUR film review by Cate Marquis

– By Cate Marquis – Gary Oldman gives an amazing performance as Winston Churchill in director Joe Wright DARKEST HOUR, a riveting drama about Churchill and the earliest darkest days of World War II, as Britain faced the crisis of Dunkirk and invasion by Hitler loomed. The film is an admirable work, a mix of…

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