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Love and Mercy (2014)
The Life, Love and Genius of Brian Wilson
Filmmaker(s): Bill Pohlad

In the late 1960s, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson stops touring, produces "Pet Sounds" and begins to lose his grip on reality. By the 1980s, under the sway of a controlling therapist, he finds a savior in Melinda Ledbetter.

The Sergeant’s Retreat The scriptwriter’s obligation is to sketch a world that has enough definition for us to inhabit and understand the influences on the characters within. The default is to make that world simple so we do the least work in engaging. That’s what they...


Published August 22, 2024
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Penn & Teller: Fool Us (2011- )
Up to their new tricks.

Illusionists Penn & Teller throw down the gauntlet to aspiring magicians to perform their most mystifying trick - and fool Penn and Teller. Penn & Teller have no prior knowledge of either the performers or the planned trick. They sit in the audience just like everyone else, watching every move the guest magicians make. If any illusionist fools the professionals, they win a five star trip to Las Vegas to perform as the opening act in Penn & Teller's world famous show at the Rio Hotel & Casino.

Game Changing I think I have seen most of the episodes of this, all out of order. There really is nothing like it in my experience. It is reality TV, while being stage performances. It has several different personalities as focus, but shifts to our focus...


Published August 21, 2024
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The Instigators (2024)
Worst. Heist. Ever.
Filmmaker(s): Doug Liman

Rory and Cobby are unlikely partners thrown together for a heist. But when it goes awry, they team up to outrun police, backward bureaucrats, and a vengeful crime boss.

Boston Underachievers Here’s what I think happened. These sorts of films are all about the characters, and some substantial part of that is either the skill of the actor, or whether the actor is more or less like the character. Willis, McQueen, Newman, Bogart, Wayne for...


Published August 15, 2024
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The Love Witch (2016)
She loved men... to death
Filmmaker(s): Anna Biller

A modern-day witch uses spells and magic to get men to fall in love with her, with deadly consequences.

Faces, Drapes This is much celebrated by the critics, most of whom I am sure never saw the referenced films when they were new. It rides a wave, I suppose of feminist films that can use ‘the gaze’ to their advantage. If you have not seen this,...


Published August 9, 2024
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The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
All the power in the universe can't change destiny
Filmmaker(s): David Twohy

After years of outrunning ruthless bounty hunters, escaped convict Riddick suddenly finds himself caught between opposing forces in a fight for the future of the human race. Now, waging incredible battles on fantastic and deadly worlds, this lone, reluctant hero will emerge as humanity's champion - and the last hope for a universe on the edge of annihilation.

Three Women I go to opera now and then. Some people -- I suppose -- think that because much classical music is complex, so is opera. But there is a world of difference between a complex experience and a rich one. Opera is rich, and usually...


Published August 3, 2024
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Total Recall (2012)
What Is Real?

Factory worker Doug Quaid takes a virtual mind-trip vacation with the Rekall company, opting for implanted memories of being a spy. When the procedure goes wrong, Quaid becomes a wanted man by the police and joins forces with a rebel fighter to stop the evil Chancellor Cohaagen.

Women and Buildings I was distracted in the decade when this was made, so was not watching films at the pace I had before. In fact, I would likely have avoided it anyway based on the initial press. The recent watching was of the Director’s Cut....


Published July 29, 2024
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Minority Report (2002)
Everybody runs.
Filmmaker(s): Steven Spielberg

John Anderton is a top 'Precrime' cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they're committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge.

The Ghost of Christie Spielberg continues in his reborn quest to be an intelligent filmmaker. Once again, he starts with an idea that is remarkably sophisticated. And once again his biggest enemy is himself as he lards on all the junk he is addicted to. First the...


Published July 28, 2024
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The Magic Flute (2022)
Believe in the magic of music.
Filmmaker(s): Florian Sigl

A seventeen year old travels from London to the Austrian Alps to attend the legendary Mozart boarding school. There, he discovers a centuries-old forgotten passageway into the fantastic world of Mozart's "The Magic Flute".

Peril at Vienna End I found everything about this a failure. There’s a lot swirling around. An entire opera more or less. A parallel world with a portal where some shared challenges are met, but it is unclear what those challenges are. Confidence? We end up with...


Published July 21, 2024
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Despicable Me (2010)
Some call him bad. They call him dad.

Villainous Gru lives up to his reputation as a despicable, deplorable and downright unlikable guy when he hatches a plan to steal the moon from the sky. But he has a tough time staying on task after three orphans land in his care.

Foreground/Background I see that I did not write a comment on this when it came out. I have since had kids and rewatched it recently, and am impressed by a couple key decisions. The first is the quality of the animation and choices made in the story....


Published July 7, 2024
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Pitch Perfect (2012)
Get pitch slapped.
Filmmaker(s): Jason Moore

College student Beca knows she does not want to be part of a clique, but that's exactly where she finds herself after arriving at her new school. Thrust in among mean gals, nice gals and just plain weird gals, Beca finds that the only thing they have in common is how well they sing together. She takes the women of the group out of their comfort zone of traditional arrangements and into a world of amazing harmonic combinations in a fight to the top of college music competitions.

Packaged Energy I recall watching ‘Fame’ when it came out. It surely was not the first film that was a performance about a performance with a personal quest overlain. But it was the first in my film life. There have since been hundreds of these where...


Published July 6, 2024
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