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Zita Short
Zita Short's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at Tomatometer-approved publication(s).
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Black Narcissus (1947) |
Kathleen Byron is also fantastic but Kerr’s subtlety means that she is allowed to go wild and become unrestrained in the second act. The yin and yang that they form is central to the film’s success... - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 10, 2023
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The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) |
A more precious, overly serious young actress would have given a stiff, overly mannered performance in the role Kerr was handed but she works wonders with it. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 10, 2023
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The Innocents (1961) |
I’m so happy that this fairly strange picture has been so widely embraced and it is heartening to realize that audiences do gravitate towards artistically ambitious fare sometimes. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 10, 2023
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The Sundowners (1960) |
This serves as an effective rebuke to critics of Kerr who claim that she was only capable of playing ladylike, aristocratic types. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 10, 2023
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Bonjour Tristesse (1958) |
Watch Bonjour Tristesse and marvel at her strength and confidence. She was a rare creature and we should have had more actresses like Kerr... - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 10, 2023
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Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957) |
Kerr makes diffidence exciting as her character brushes up against some troubling emotions. She is held back by a story that doesn’t let her do much but in many ways, this film serves as a testament to her abilities... - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 10, 2023
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Separate Tables (1958) |
These little touches make the film worth watching and with an exquisite Wendy Hiller on screen for a few highly memorable scenes it is hard not to be riveted. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 10, 2023
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The Arrangement (1969) |
Kerr finds a way to avoid engaging in cheap theatrics. She provides a nice counterbalance to the icy, sleek Dunaway who glides through every scene as she finds a way to explore her character’s deep insecurities... - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 09, 2023
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Julius Caesar (1953) |
This is a fairly stolid adaptation of William Shakespeare’s famous play but when James Mason starts talking in that mellifluous voice of his it is hard to look away... - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 09, 2023
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The Three Faces of Eve (1957) |
I simply adore the incredibly talented Joanne Woodward... - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 09, 2023
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Next Time We Love (1935) |
Something is thrilling about watching a star come into his own, and you get to see the Stewart persona molded into near perfection here. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 09, 2023
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The Shopworn Angel (1938) |
Sullavan’s character comes across as mean in this film as she has none of the redeeming features that make a lot of her other tough broads so easy to like. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 09, 2023
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The Shop Around the Corner (1940) |
...one of the greatest and most influential romantic comedies ever made... - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 09, 2023
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The Mortal Storm (1940) |
As a pair, they can make the audience invest in the relationship between their characters as well as bringing even the most jaded moviegoer to tears, and it’s utterly magical. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 09, 2023
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Random Harvest (1942) |
Everything about Random Harvest, from the score to the art direction, feels like it was put in place to make voters feel like they couldn’t not include it on their ballots. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 09, 2023
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Sunrise (1927) |
Murnau really was a visionary and I do see what made him such a talent... - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 09, 2023
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Vertigo (1958) |
Novak feels like she was left out to dry by Hitchcock as he spent far more time paying attention to the location of the brooch on her lapel than he spent instructing her on how to convey her character’s emotions. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 09, 2023
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Woman of the Year (1942) |
I don’t think this is a successful romantic comedy. I am almost offended... - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 09, 2023
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Double Indemnity (1944) |
I can only imagine how inadequate other actresses playing femme fatales feel when they have to live up to Stanwyck’s legend. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 09, 2023
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Love Story (1970) |
The production values here are not very strong as the imagery is bland and unmemorable, the costumes don’t tell you anything about the characters and the production designers seemingly forgot what it was like to be a university student. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 09, 2023
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Casablanca (1942) |
Casablanca is best enjoyed for its production values... - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 09, 2023
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Notorious (1946) |
Hitchcock is able to weave locations into scenes in which things actually happen. In the 1950s so many films featured five-minute-long montages in which audiences were bombarded with shots of landmarks in a certain city... - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 09, 2023
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Witness (1985) |
Witness is one of the best films I have seen yet... - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 08, 2023
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Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (1955) |
The nasty streak of racism also hurts it and makes it difficult to watch... - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 08, 2023
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Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) |
This is a sad, sad true story and while this biopic does take some liberties in telling this story it makes its points effectively. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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The Affairs of Cellini (1934) |
I would call this a considerably lighter political film as it doubles as a screwball comedy but it does have a lot to say about politics. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Starship Troopers (1997) |
We can appreciate it for what it really is and notice the subtle comments it makes on the dangers of following along with leaders in a fascist society. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Missing (1982) |
Costa-Gavras made far more radical political thrillers than this but I think this was one of his sharpest efforts as it is able to package its political message within an engaging human story. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Isadora (1968) |
On paper Isadora is just a standard biopic about the life of dancer Isadora Duncan but it manages to cover the time she spent in the Soviet Union in great detail. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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The New World (2005) |
You wouldn’t necessarily call Terrence Malick the most political filmmaker in the world but when he set out to tell the story of Pocahontas he was able to weave some real political commentary into it. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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JFK (1991) |
You might not agree with Stone but you have to admire the filmmaking craft on display here and some elements of Garrison’s argument make sense. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Becket (1964) |
If you really want to think about the conflict between religious and political movements and the necessary separation between them then this will be for you. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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The Remains of the Day (1993) |
You can’t talk about great acting without thinking of The Remains of the Day... - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Barry Lyndon (1975) |
This is the sort of scathing indictment that we rarely see in films and in a time when we don’t trust politicians it seems like Barry Lyndon speaks to modern voters who feel completely disillusioned with the politicians who are meant to represent them. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Shakespeare in Love (1998) |
Shakespeare and de Lesseps are both written as fairly uninteresting figures and we are meant to simply admire the beauty of Paltrow and Fiennes... - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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It's a Wonderful Life (1946) |
The involvement of Jennifer Jones doesn’t hurt and Joseph Cotten never looked dreamier. If you have ever been attracted to the idea of doomed, obsessive love then this might be for you. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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The Towering Inferno (1974) |
This is a loud, bombastic, dumb blockbuster and it just doesn’t thrill audiences in the same way that it would have in 1974. I really question whether it became a sensation purely as a result of hype. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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The Player (1992) |
I think that The Player fails when it comes to achieving its main objective, pillorying the industry, and that does end up counting for a lot. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Dirty Dancing (1987) |
The use of locations is another virtue that Dirty Dancing has on its side as you do come to feel at home in the resort and regret the fact that establishments like this disappeared. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Short Cuts (1993) |
It has the ability to generate thoughtful conversation between viewers. If you sit down and watch this with a good friend, you’ll probably both come out of it with very different observations. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Now, Voyager (1942) |
It fits within the genre and it is a great show for Davis’s talents. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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The Lady Eve (1941) |
This is one of the best films I have ever seen, let alone one of the best romances. Its influence on future romantic comedies is undeniable and it remains as fresh and exciting today as it was when it was first released. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Andrei Rublev (1966) |
Dazzling in its boundless ambition... - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Satyricon (1969) |
Fellini at his laziest... - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Straight Outta Compton (2015) |
It would be nicer to savor a smaller portion of chocolate ice cream and take your time appreciating the scent of the fudge swirls or the texture of the melted ice cream. That was a long, drawn-out metaphor for what this film could have been. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Fame (1980) |
This is an unbalanced mess at a lot of points and that stops you from fully enjoying its occasional moments of greatness. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Two for the Road (1967) |
I do appreciate the fact that this is the rare film on the list which deals with the ebb and flow of a marriage, rather than being about youthful, impulsive infatuation. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Stalker (1979) |
This is a film that sets itself apart from the rest for subtle reasons. It doesn’t jump out at you as something that is daring or audacious and you do have to dig a bit deeper in order to properly engage with it. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Roman Holiday (1953) |
I never want to see Roman Holiday again and I regret the fact that I wasted so much time on it. I might put it on a list of my top 100 least favorite films but it would never be anywhere near a list of my favorite romantic films. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1971) |
This is not one of those worthless, ponderous pieces of arthouse twaddle but I would never enthusiastically recommend it to anybody. There are far better European dramas about the Holocaust that are emotionally involving as well as being solidly crafted. - InSession Film
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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