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3/4
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Beetlejuice
(1988)
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Roger Hurlburt
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Beetlejuice entertains, in a very peculiar way. Nothing quite like it has come along before.
Posted Aug 22, 2024
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3/4
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Alien Resurrection
(1997)
|
Roger Hurlburt
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It should satisfy devotees and compel a new batch of aficionados to scurry off for videos of the previous movies. And is the hatch door left ajar for a fifth installment of the saga? Definitely.
Posted Aug 07, 2024
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Alien 3
(1992)
|
Chauncey Mabe
|
Imagine my dismay to find Alien 3 not merely less accomplished than its predecessors, but a complete violation of the spirit of the earlier movies.
Posted Aug 05, 2024
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Little Women
(1994)
|
Candice Russell
|
Gillian Armstrong's exceedingly lovely version is a glorious achievement in every respect.
Posted Apr 10, 2024
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The Shawshank Redemption
(1994)
|
Candice Russell
|
Tim Robbins delivers a distinguished performance, with Morgan Freeman equally marvelous. This is that rare movie occurrence that has the ability to sweep the viewer into an alien universe; it is superior filmmaking on any level.
Posted Mar 02, 2024
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1/4
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Teen Witch
(1989)
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Roger Hurlburt
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Dull, talky and jam-packed with terrible performances, who knows which witch is which in the whammyless Teen Witch.
Posted Feb 16, 2024
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The Last of the Mohicans
(1992)
|
Chauncey Mabe
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The result is that rare thing, a movie that is in every way an improvement upon the book.
Posted Dec 14, 2023
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3/4
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La Haine
(1995)
|
Rod Dreher
|
A razor-sharp, brutal look at violence, racism and alienation.
Posted Jul 19, 2023
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3/4
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The Matrix
(1999)
|
Tom Sander
|
Hang on tight for a real mind-blower, with astonishing visual effects, frightening monsters and exciting stunt fights, as the film inexorably reveals the terrifying answer to "What is the Matrix?"
Posted Jul 12, 2023
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3.5/4
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The Color Purple
(1985)
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Candice Russell
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The Color Purple is that rarity in American films -- a faithful adaptation of a stirring book. To watch it is to laugh and cry with characters that you'll not soon forget.
Posted May 25, 2023
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1.5/4
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Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
(1993)
|
Roger Hurlburt
|
Viewers who want the bitter taste of Kane's Batman character in a world of gloom and doom may like this animated film, but it is hardly family entertainment.
Posted May 23, 2023
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3.5/4
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Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(1984)
|
Candice Russell
|
This film reconfirms Spielberg's status as a master movie story teller. My only frustration in seeing this film is that I wish I were 10 years old again, though [Spielberg's] gift is to coax the child out of the moviegoer.
Posted Apr 18, 2023
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3/4
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Army of Darkness
(1992)
|
Roger Hurlburt
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Because of an irreverent and wholly enthusiastic performance, Campbell makes the film far more than it should be.
Posted Mar 31, 2023
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Boys on the Side
(1995)
|
Candice Russell
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It's an able comedy despite the heavy topics touched on throughout.
Posted Mar 14, 2023
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2/4
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Alma's Rainbow
(1994)
|
Roger Hurlburt
|
Alma's Rainbow is ambitious and occasionally fun. Unfortunately, director Chenzira's meandering script becomes diluted and confusing when it should have simplified an essentially interesting story.
Posted Jan 10, 2023
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3.5/4
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Groundhog Day
(1993)
|
Roger Hurlburt
|
This sweetly surrealist comedy is, arguably, Murray's most irresistible effort. Groundhog Day is a warm and rewarding story about reason, reckoning, and romance.
Posted Dec 21, 2022
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Salem's Lot
(2004)
|
Tom Jicha
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TNT is to be applauded for adapting a great summer read into a fine summer watch.
Posted Oct 14, 2022
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2.5/4
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Terms of Endearment
(1983)
|
Candice Russell
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Brooks proves himself to be an actor's director. He understands the nuances of behavior between characters. It is these small moments that make Terms of Endearment worth seeing, in spite of its meanderings.
Posted Jul 20, 2022
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3/4
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The Last Temptation of Christ
(1988)
|
Candice Russell
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It is hard to imagine a more serious or heartfelt exploration of the inner conflicts faced by Jesus. Charges of blasphemy leveled against the film by some Christian leaders are hard to square with the filmmakers' obvious reverence.
Posted May 05, 2022
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3/4
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The Witches of Eastwick
(1987)
|
Roger Hurlburt
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The Witches of Eastwick will thrill and inspire, repel and infect, all in the same wave of the wand.
Posted Apr 21, 2022
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Mississippi Masala
(1991)
|
Candice Russell
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Director Mira Nair has a felicitous touch when pinpointing with gentle humor the ironies of skin color and the silliness of cultural superiority.
Posted Apr 13, 2022
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2.5/4
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Mishima
(1985)
|
Candice Russell
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As a film that demonstrates how art transfuses life and how life shapes art, it is an admirable effort.
Posted Apr 05, 2022
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|
3.5/4
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The Silence of the Lambs
(1991)
|
Candice Russell
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A bone-chiller of superior intensity.
Posted Mar 23, 2022
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|
2.5/4
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Sidewalk Stories
(1989)
|
Candice Russell
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Few other first-time filmmakers would launch their careers with a feature devoid of dialogue for 95 of its 97 minutes. That Lane succeeds is a tribute to his understanding of the medium in its purest sense.
Posted Jan 24, 2022
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The Secret of NIMH
(1982)
|
Jack Zink
|
The Secret of NIMH does not dazzle so much as glow. It is a reverent, literate family tale that is a tribute to the art of storytelling as well as the process of animation.
Posted Nov 11, 2021
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0/4
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Poltergeist II
(1986)
|
Candice Russell
|
A spooky, gross, pointless movie that is all tease and no payoff.
Posted Nov 03, 2021
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2.5/4
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Critters
(1986)
|
Candice Russell
|
Critters is a low-budget suspense film with fairly successful special effects and a story that keeps you on tenterhooks.
Posted Oct 27, 2021
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2/4
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El Mariachi
(1992)
|
Candice Russell
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Even making allowances for its budget and crude camera style, this is no mini-masterpiece, no trend-breaker.
Posted Sep 08, 2021
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3/4
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My Family/Mi Familia
(1995)
|
Roger Hurlburt
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My Family is an intimate drama about the joys, hardships and legacy of three generations of a family in east Los Angeles.
Posted Aug 26, 2021
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1.5/4
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Night Game
(1989)
|
Bill Kelley
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Unless you have a weakness for hard-boiled detective movies that overstay their welcome by an hour, there's no reason to chase after this one.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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1/4
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Man on Fire
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
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Most of Man on Fire has the depth of one TV advertisement after another.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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2/4
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The Haunting of Hamilton High
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
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For all the filmmakers' deftness with story and visual style, it's a shame they didn't apply their talents to something more original.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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0/4
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The Outing
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
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The Outing has all the conventions of a low-budget horror film: overacting, cheap special effects, harsh lighting and nude teens, to name a few. Worst of all, its story is laughable and largely derivative.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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0/4
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Leonard Part 6
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
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Leonard Part 6 is the most appallingly bad work of Bill Cosby's career.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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1.5/4
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Death Wish 4: The Crackdown
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
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In this by-the-numbers revenge fantasy, Bronson delivers the expected crash-and-bang picture (perfect for popcorn munching), but except for a catchy opening and some twists near the end, Death Wish 4 has few surprises.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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2/4
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Slamdance
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
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Slam Dance's advertisement proclaims, "It's NOT about dancing." In the end, it's not about much else, either.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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2/4
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The Hidden
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
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After the initial shock of the special effects, there's nothing much to this film but some well-directed stunts, including car chases and plenty of shoot-outs.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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2/4
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Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
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Throughout the film, Pinocchio acts in a manner convenient to the plot, but winds up looking like a downright blockhead, instead of a cartoon hero that a child can love or admire.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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0.5/4
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Flowers in the Attic
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
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[Flowers in the Attic is] 95 minutes of incomparable boredom.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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3.5/4
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Planes, Trains and Automobiles
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
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John Hughes, the master of adolescent angst, finally has grown up. Planes, Trains and Automobiles is a hilarious comedy without troubled teen-agers.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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2.5/4
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Stakeout
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
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Dreyfuss' capability for comedy is what saves Stakeout He unequivocally steals every scene he is in, except for the action scenes, most of which are surprisingly bad.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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2/4
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Castaway
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
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Much of Castaway is about as exciting as watching an ordinary middle-aged man spend a year on a tropical island with an ordinary younger woman.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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2.5/4
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In the Mood
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
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The director turns the '40s inside out, making it an eccentric carnival ride with Sonny at the helm.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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2/4
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Who's That Girl?
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
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Before Foley loses the film to insipid humor and excessive physical comedy -- in a rambunctious wedding fiasco at the film's close -- he is nevertheless successful at creating minor characters that are undeniably appealing.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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0.5/4
|
Munchies
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
|
Munchies is a film that should never have been made. In fact, no one should have even thought of making it.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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2.5/4
|
Adventures in Babysitting
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
|
Idiotic plot aside, there are surprisingly funny moments.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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|
1.5/4
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House II: The Second Story
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
|
This film does entertain occasionally, but otherwise, it caves in on itself. Sometimes the special effects work; other times, they're horrendous
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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|
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Hollywood Shuffle
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
|
Hollywood Shuffle is a film from someone who chose to do more than the average spoof. It shows the insight, intelligence and sensitivity of a talented artist.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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2/4
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Sign 'o' the Times
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
|
Prince should not be allowed behind the camera.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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|
1/4
|
Cross My Heart
(1987)
|
Juan Carlos Coto
|
The monotony isn't the fault of Short and OToole. The talented actors form a nice comic duo, but it's almost excruciating to watch them try to break out of their cardboard personae.
Posted Aug 19, 2021
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