Music

‘Blues Brothers’ (1980) is an absurdly bombastic crowd-pleaser

“The Blues Brothers” (1980) has such massive set pieces and action sequences that the belly laughs have little chance at being equally big. But it’s

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Tammy on the record: ‘Stand by Your Man: An Autobiography’ (1979)

Country superstar singer and songwriter Tammy Wynette is best known for the track she uses to title her autobiography: “Stand by Your Man,” a hit

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‘Phantom of the Paradise’ (1974) is De Palma’s ambitious pop opera

Brian De Palma, the greatest remixer in cinema history, follows up his Hitchcock-inspired breakthrough “Sisters” (1973) with “Phantom of the Paradise” (1974). The musical combines

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Merle’s memories: ‘Sing Me Back Home: My Story’ (1981)

Country superstar singer-songwriter-fiddler Merle Haggard (1937-2016) was a rowdy youngster. He spent time in prison and reform schools (from which he repeatedly absconded). Eventually, he

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‘Some Like It Hot’ (1959), and everyone likes it funny

“Some Like It Hot” (1959), perhaps Billy Wilder’s most crowd-pleasing film if not his deepest, is one of those special comedies that’s funny even in

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‘Waltzes from Vienna’ (1934) a light but important Hitchcock film

“Waltzes from Vienna” (1934) isn’t quite a musical – after all, it focuses entirely on the creation of a single song, Johann Strauss II’s “The

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Fall movie preview 2024: 10 films I wouldn’t mind seeing

Depth might be returning to Hollywood’s offerings this fall. The season is short on mega-hyped movies, but a closer look reveals many projects whose taglines

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Lansbury takes crack at Marple in ‘The Mirror Crack’d’ (1980)

Amid the resurgence of lush Poirot movies, Miss Marple tiptoed in with “The Mirror Crack’d” (1980). It’s a faithful, respectable adaptation, and many people liked

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‘Anna and the Apocalypse’ (2017) is fun … until the end

In the musical zombie comedy “Anna and the Apocalypse” (2017), the cliched themes of “High School Musical” meet the tropes of “The Walking Dead” in

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Penn starrer ‘Sweet and Lowdown’ (1999) turns out sour

“Sweet and Lowdown” (1999) illustrates the magical nature of filmmaking by lacking magic. We knew by this point that writer-director Woody Allen could make great

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