This clever and whimsical origin story stars Timothée Chalamet as fiction’s most famous chocolatier. Co-written and directed by Paul King (‘Paddington’), it’s a loopy and uplifting holiday treat, chock-full of magic and music, co-starring a trove of familiar faces. Chalamet has more than enough charm and charisma to make it […]
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The Family Plan
It’s certainly not a novel idea by any means, but this ‘True Lies’ redux about a schlubby suburban dad who’s actually a government-trained assassin kinda works, more or less. Mark Wahlberg leads the way as the schlub in question, who clicks into full Jason Bourne mode when the bad guys […]
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American Fiction
This wicked satire from first-time feature writer/director Cord Jefferson is a scathing and hilarious commentary on white America’s stereotype-fueled image of African Americans and also an absolute tour de force for Jeffrey Wright in his best performance to date. He stars as author ‘Monk’ Ellison, who, after years of earning […]
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Your Christmas or Mine 2
The follow-up to last year’s surprisingly delightful Brit bit of fa-la-la finds James (Asa Butterfield) and Hayley (Cora Kirk) and their entire families once again in an all-too-predictable mix-up, this time on a ski holiday in Austria. Though it lacks some of the charm of the original, there’s still plenty […]
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Poor Things
He’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, and director Yorgos Lanthimos (‘The Lobster’, ‘The Favourite’) may not earn new fans with this blatantly sexual, wildly grotesque, and unabashedly off-the-wall effort, but his fans will surely feel right at home. Emma Stone turns in the performance of the year, throwing her […]
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Candy Cane Lane
It seems that original (and good) holiday movies have been a little hard to come by lately. Sure, there’s ‘Elf’ and ‘Klaus’, but beyond that, we’ve generally seen yet another variation on ‘A Christmas Carol’ (as good as ‘Spirited’ is) or some other generic schlock. Enter ‘Candy Cane Lane’, a […]
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Timeless Heroes: Indiana Jones & Harrison Ford
What starts out as an entertaining documentary from director Laurent Bouzereau about one of moviedom’s most enduring leading men unfortunately devolves into little more than an extended advertisement for ‘Dial of Destiny’ about halfway through. (I see what you did there, Disney+.) Even so, extended interviews with a who’s-who of […]
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Godzilla Minus One
When’s the last time you saw a monster movie and actually cared about the characters – becoming fully invested in their lives and not content to just watch them get trampled underfoot by a 15-story creature? This sneaky little flick from Japan is as solid as they come. Though crafted […]
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Family Switch
It’s ‘Freaky Friday’ with the whole family! Ed Helms and Jennifer Garner star as mom and dad, who switch places with daughter and son (baby and dog also switch) in this goofy and oh-so-predictable comedy from director McG (‘The Babysitter’). Most of the jokes are telegraphed from miles away, and […]
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American Symphony
This fascinating documentary about musician Jon Batiste’s journey to compose his ‘American Symphony’ is not only a study of musical genius and creativity but also compassion, as Batiste and his wife Suleika are, at the same time, also coping with her ongoing leukemia treatment. Equal parts engrossing and heartbreaking, the […]
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