THE LAST WORD film review
– By Cate Marquis – In THE LAST WORD, Shirley MacLaine stars as Harriet Lauler, a successful, wealthy but not beloved retired businesswoman, who decides to write her own obituary prior to her death. To craft the perfect obit, she hires a young writer at the local newspaper, played by Amanda Seyfried, mostly for…
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TABLE 19 film review
– By Cate Marquis – At the beginning of TABLE 19, we see Anna Kendrick as Eloise struggling to decide whether to RSVP yes or no to a wedding invitation. She should have said no, and that might be the best advice for audiences thinking about seeing this film. Kendrick plays Eloise, the ex-maid…
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AN AMERICAN IN PARIS theater review
AN AMERICAN IN PARIS sings and soars at Fox – By Cate Marquis – The 1951 classic movie musical AN AMERICAN IN PARIS featured Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron as an American ex-soldier who falls in love with a elusive young French woman, in post-World War II Paris. The color-drenched film is packed with…
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ALL MY SONS theater review
Rep’s ALL MY SONS is Miller’s searing, must-see drama about post-WWII America and the American Dream – By Cate Marquis – We tend to think of post-World War II America in sunny, idyllic terms. The “greatest generation” defeated the Nazis, the GIs came home to settle down and start the baby boom, and…
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FINDING NEVERLAND theater review
FINDING NEVERLAND is season’s best at Fox – By Cate Marquis – “Finding Neverland” tells the story of how playwright J.M. Barrie came up with the idea for one of theater’s most enduring and magical plays, “Peter Pan.” Those who saw the less-than-magical movie of the same name will be very pleasantly surprised to…
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BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK film review
– By Cate Marquis – Ang Lee is a brilliant director but he seems to being aiming more at recapturing the technical innovation magic of his film PI than making a good film, in his latest BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK, with less successful results. BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK focuses on a decorated…
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LOVING film review
– By Cate Marquis – LOVING is wonderful, warmly romantic drama about the couple, Richard and Mildred Loving, whose Supreme Court case struck down laws that prevented interracial couples from marrying. Although the court case is part of the story, the film is really about the couple, Richard and Mildred Loving, childhood sweethearts whose deeply…
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ARRIVAL film review
Intelligent, non-blockbuster drama of first extraterrestrials (overtly) landing on Earth – By Mark Glass – Here’s another case of aliens landing on Earth. But this one’s no f/x laden, epic-scale battle. It’s a thoughtful drama about how the world might handle such a new enigma. Set your adrenaline levels for the likes of…
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MOONLIGHT film review
– By Cate Marquis – Haunting, heartbreaking MOONLIGHT is the tale of an African American boy growing to manhood in a Florida housing project. That brief description will likely conjure all the wrong images and expectations for this delicate and brilliant film, which taps into universal elements of growing up while telling a specific…
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HACKSAW RIDGE film review
– By Cate Marquis – HACKSAW RIDGE tells the true story of Private Desmond Doss, a medic who won the Congressional Medal of Honor for saving 75 men on Okinawa during World War II. What sets this heroic story apart is that Doss was a pacifist who refused to even carry a gun, much…
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