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3/4
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A Jazzman's Blues
(2022)
|
Michael Dequina
|
One cannot deny that Perry ultimately elicits an earnest emotional response.
Posted Sep 22, 2022
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3/4
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Queen of Glory
(2021)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Mensah's charisma, dry wit, and flawed but warm heart make for an appealing and relatable screen heroine.
Posted Aug 06, 2022
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2/4
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BEAUTY
(2022)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Ironically, for a story revolving around identity, there is not a solid one in evidence here.
Posted Aug 06, 2022
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2/4
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Alone Together
(2022)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Reheated romantic dramedy tropes with the pandemic serving as mere window dressing.
Posted Aug 06, 2022
|
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3/4
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Spencer
(2021)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Stewart's presence and emotional authenticity lends gravitas to this otherwise fairly slight look at the Princess of Wales.
Posted Nov 08, 2021
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3/4
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Tomorrowland
(2015)
|
Michael Dequina
|
The ultimately simple charms of the film are more impressive and memorable than its more state-of-the-art trappings.
Posted Nov 08, 2021
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2.5/4
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San Andreas
(2015)
|
Michael Dequina
|
One can't exactly hate a film that delivers all the empty sound-and-fury stimuli it promises, but no matter the expense and excess, it still all adds up to just a glut of expensive... emptiness.
Posted Nov 08, 2021
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2.5/4
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Bombay Velvet
(2015)
|
Michael Dequina
|
All the outsize dramatics that end up taking over the film feel less a product of conviction than commercial concession.
Posted Nov 08, 2021
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|
2.5/4
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The Souvenir Part II
(2021)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Intellectually engaging, but not quite emotionally so, keeping the audience locked out on the outside looking in on whatever catharsis Julie and Hogg experience from their creative processes.
Posted Nov 08, 2021
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|
2.5/4
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A Mouthful of Air
(2021)
|
Michael Dequina
|
One gets the sense by the conclusion that a film version of the story can only skim the surface of the emotional depths that Koppelman expressed and explored in pages of printed prose.
Posted Nov 01, 2021
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|
3.5/4
|
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
(2001)
|
Michael Dequina
|
The [sappy] tagline, 'It's all about loving your parents,' hardly does Johar's skillful, delicate balancing act any justice.
Posted Nov 01, 2021
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3/4
|
Waiting for Superman
(2010)
|
Michael Dequina
|
For all the solid information and convincing arguments presented throughout the run time, it's the genuine emotional connection to those families that make the film so powerful.
Posted Nov 01, 2021
|
|
3.5/4
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Crutch
(2020)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Just as much as it is a document of its subject's life, work, and personality, it also serves as a rare and necessary mirror to the able-bodied viewer's deeply ingrained subconscious perceptions of the disabled.
Posted Nov 01, 2021
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3/4
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Premature
(2019)
|
Michael Dequina
|
The beats may be familiar here, but the music, so to speak, is fresh and engrossing.
Posted Oct 31, 2021
|
|
2.5/4
|
De lo mio
(2019)
|
Michael Dequina
|
The low key vibe, observational style, and purposely thin plotting add up to a lack of drive and urgency, and a muted connection to the film.
Posted Oct 31, 2021
|
|
2/4
|
Listen Up Philip
(2014)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Jason Schwartzman's off-kilter, idiosyncratic screen presence and line delivery can be just as much of a hindrance as an asset.
Posted Oct 31, 2021
|
|
3/4
|
The Guest
(2014)
|
Michael Dequina
|
The excess, even ridiculousness, could be a deal breaker for many, but the performances sell it all with conviction and infectious energy.
Posted Oct 31, 2021
|
|
|
Two Distant Strangers
(2020)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Inspired, insightful, and uniquely impactful in making its provocative -- and most necessary -- point.
Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
3/4
|
Those Who Wish Me Dead
(2021)
|
Michael Dequina
|
What really matters here is the style, the thrills, the suspense, and Sheridan keeps the pace swift and the dramatic stakes high.
Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
2/4
|
Gemini
(2017)
|
Michael Dequina
|
The overall tedium gives one plenty of time to imagine and wish for this trio in a far more worthy vehicle.
Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
2.5/4
|
Mortal Kombat
(2021)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Reserving the title event for sequels that are not guaranteed is a guarantee for the film to overall feel anticlimactic and kind of a waste.
Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
3/4
|
Flora and Ulysses
(2020)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Goes down easy with audiences of all ages, even if only the youngest of the lot is likely to remember it for long.
Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
3/4
|
The Weekend
(2018)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Zamata is not only deadly with her precision-timed one-liners but piercing in the more dramatic beats.
Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
3.5/4
|
Clemency
(2019)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Chukwu knows that the most effective manner of delivering [her] message is through the connection forged by the humanity of her characters.
Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
2/4
|
Wander Darkly
(2020)
|
Michael Dequina
|
As the film spins its wheels on the question of what is real and isn't, that gimmicky mystery overwhelms whatever interest Miller generates in her character's plight.
Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
3.5/4
|
Shadow in the Cloud
(2020)
|
Michael Dequina
|
If one just throws all need for logic and rational explanation out the window, it's one hell of a ride.
Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
3/4
|
Crisis
(2021)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Jarecki ably juggles the narrative concerns in a carefully balanced manner that takes time to flesh out detailed concerns specific to each perspective while making sure all are given their due, equal weight.
Posted Oct 19, 2021
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|
4/4
|
The Decalogue
(1989)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Not only ranks as one of the most ambitious and challenging film works ever attempted, but one of the most rewarding and unforgettable.
Posted May 01, 2021
|
|
4/5
|
Face
(2002)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Posted Mar 09, 2021
|
|
3/4
|
Aquaman
(2018)
|
Michael Dequina
|
One indeed comes away from Aquaman interested in what further aquatic adventures may yet be in store, with or without any of his Justice League teammates by his side.
Posted Feb 22, 2019
|
|
4/5
|
(undefined)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Posted Oct 20, 2018
|
|
3/4
|
Class Rank
(2017)
|
Michael Dequina
|
The genuine heart behind the film from beginning to end earns the turn from the silly to sentimental, and elicits genuine feeling to go with all the fun.
Posted May 10, 2018
|
|
2/4
|
Paris Can Wait
(2016)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Once the travelogue novelty of the posh locations and fine cuisine wears off--which is quickly, if not almost immediately--this slog feels like it is unfolding in real, interminable time.
Posted Feb 01, 2018
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|
3/4
|
Where's Daddy?
(2018)
|
Michael Dequina
|
An important and necessary look at a sensitive subject from an angle that too few care to pay attention to, let alone address.
Posted Jan 31, 2018
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|
3/4
|
All Mistakes Buried
(2015)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Sam Trammell is fascinating and fearless, stripped clean--or, more accurately, filthy--of anything approaching actorly vanity.
Posted Jan 25, 2016
|
|
3/4
|
White Rabbit
(2013)
|
Michael Dequina
|
The emotional authenticity makes what could have easily been just another in a long line of similarly-minded dramas feel like a singular human story.
Posted Feb 14, 2015
|
|
2/4
|
Taken 3
(2014)
|
Michael Dequina
|
It is time for Mills to finally settle into a quiet retirement while Neeson moves on to better, heretofore untaken (in every sense) action showcases.
Posted Jan 19, 2015
|
|
2.5/4
|
Unbroken
(2014)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Glossily polished to an old school Hollywood sheen in every respect, from the honey-golden cinematography to, unfortunately, a programmatic and ultimately unconvincing slathered-on sentimentality.
Posted Jan 04, 2015
|
|
2/4
|
Cake
(2014)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Aniston's solidly done departure probably would have organically received its due (and possibly even more credit) had it been a genuine discovery in a film released and sold as the modest, blip-on-the-radar non-event indie that it is.
Posted Jan 03, 2015
|
|
3/4
|
A Most Violent Year
(2014)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Oscar Isaac does terrifically layered and involving work as Abel's armor of seemingly unflappable confidence is consistently, increasingly under attack.
Posted Dec 30, 2014
|
|
3/4
|
Second Coming
(2014)
|
Michael Dequina
|
However willfully obscured the narrative may be, the emotional truth of every moment, in the moment is always piercingly clear and punishingly accessible.
Posted Dec 30, 2014
|
|
3.5/4
|
Selma
(2014)
|
Michael Dequina
|
The true brilliance of David Oyelowo's work--and that of Ava DuVernay, for that matter--lies in the delicate balance between duly respecting King as a historical icon and incisively studying King as a man.
Posted Dec 29, 2014
|
|
2/4
|
God Help the Girl
(2014)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Two hours whose every restless minute is felt, no matter how fetchingly and frequently the stunning Emily Browning croons directly to the camera.
Posted Dec 27, 2014
|
|
3.5/4
|
Top Five
(2014)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Chris Rock has made an entertainment that is not only a wild and rich study of his lead character but the character of the filmmaker himself.
Posted Dec 25, 2014
|
|
3/4
|
A Walk Among the Tombstones
(2014)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Liam Neeson reminds that he can be just as captivating to watch creating a complex character as he is beating bad guys up.
Posted Dec 25, 2014
|
|
3.5/4
|
PK
(2014)
|
Michael Dequina
|
For once with an Aamir Khan vehicle, what is most memorable is not his predictably strong performance, but material and execution as fearless as he is.
Posted Dec 24, 2014
|
|
3/4
|
The Interview
(2014)
|
Michael Dequina
|
In a less politically sensitive time, Randall Park's flat-out brilliant performance would be hailed as the breakout, star-making, even awards nomination-worthy, turn that it is.
Posted Dec 22, 2014
|
|
1/4
|
Around the Bend
(2004)
|
Michael Dequina
|
When traveling the American Southwest, there are bound to be many KFC locations around the bend to feed you along the way.
Posted Dec 21, 2014
|
|
3.5/4
|
Comet
(2014)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Such an admittedly, unabashedly small scale story feels so powerfully universal, as if to transcend the weight and boundaries of space and time.
Posted Dec 06, 2014
|
|
3.5/4
|
Time Is Illmatic
(2014)
|
Michael Dequina
|
Paints a vivid portrait of all that Nas the artist and Nasir Jones the person are in a remarkably efficient 75-minute run time.
Posted Nov 27, 2014
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