comedy

THE WOMEN’S BALCONY film review

– By Cate Marquis –   Charming and warm, the Israeli comedy “The Women’s Balcony” entertains but also captures an appealing feeling of community, and even family, that being part of a religious congregation can bring. It is no small feat. That sense of a close, happy congregation was inspired by screenwriter Shlomit Nehama’s own…

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THE HERO film review

– By Cate Marquis – Sometimes one role can define an actor’s career. Sam Elliott plays such an actor in late life, facing his own mortality and coming to grips with his life and career, in the sometimes funny, sometimes touching drama THE HERO. THE HERO is an intimate personal drama that draws on universal…

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BABY DRIVER film review – by Cate Marquis

Writer/director Edgar Wright (SHAUN OF THE DEAD) delivers the kind of summer movie you hope for – action-packed, light, with a bit of humor – in BABY DRIVER. Car chases and a non-stop jukebox music soundtrack help drive this highly entertaining flick, which shares its title with a Simon and Garfunkel song. This delightful summer…

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BEATRIZ AT DINNER film review – by Mark Glass

I confess to being predisposed to admire films in which an actress who rose to stardom largely on her beauty dives into a role that seriously downplays, if not obscures, the looks that made her famous. The most stunning conversion along those lines was Charlize Theron’s adopted dumpiness for her Oscar-winning role in Monster.  Before…

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CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE – film review

– By Mark Glass –   This animated comic adventure is based on a series of books about the superhero fantasies of two fourth-graders, mostly at the expense of their rotund, sourpuss principal. We can’t be sure if the part of the title after the colon was intended to mean that all other epics pale…

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A MAN CALLED OVE film review

– By Cate Marquis – Curmudgeon delights in Swedish comedy A MAN CALLED OVE Rating: 4 out of 5 stars   In the Swedish dark comedy A MAN CALLED OVE, director/scriptwriter Hannes Holm takes us on a roller-coaster trip through the life of old curmudgeon. Ove (Rolf Lassgard) is the kind of guy every neighborhood…

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GHOSTBUSTERS film review by Cate Marquis

– By Cate Marquis – Who ya gonna call? It’s still GHOSTBUSTERS   GHOSTBUSTERS is that rarest thing – a remake that is as much fun as the original (some would say more) that also honors the memorable original. Take that, internet grumblers! Fans who were worried about this remake can relax – the results…

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KEANU film review

-By Cate Marquis – ‘Keanu’ is surprisingly disappointing movie debut for Key and Peele   Everyone loves kittens on YouTube, right? Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, the comedy duo Key and Peele, hit the pop-culture target when they made an adorable kitten the focus of their big screen debut. Comedy/action movie “Keanu” focuses on a…

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ZOOTOPIA film review

– By Cate Marquis – Disney’s animated “Zootopia” pairs rabbit and fox in comedy-adventure in animal diversity utopia “Zootopia” is that perfect kind of kid’s movie, an animated comedy that works for both grown-ups and young audiences, while offering a message that parent can feel comfortable with for their children. It is also Disney’s best…

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MINIONS

– Film Review – – By Cate Marquis – “Minions” spins off the little yellow henchmen of “Despicable Me” into their own movie. The animated comedy has plenty of comic gags as the accident- and goofiness-prone little guys search for a “boss” to serve, although perhaps not enough plot to sustain it all the way…

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