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Rowlands shines in character study ‘Another Woman’ (1988)

It’s been said the biggest sin in an actress’ career is turning 40. But there are exceptions where a 40-plus actress gets an amazing role.

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‘Yellowjackets’ soapier than I’d like, but has some sting

“Yellowjackets” (Sundays, Showtime, with the first episode free to everyone) has one of the best trailers of the Fall TV season. The idea of a

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Slow-burn ‘Dune’ illustrates imperial machinations

Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part One” (HBO Max), adapting the start of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, is more like homework than entertainment. But it’s not entirely

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‘Next’ (2006) a weirdly engineered novel about genetics

“Next” (2006) is Michael Crichton’s most experimentally structured novel, which is appropriate because it’s about genetic experimentation. It has no A-plot, but is instead a

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‘Funerals are Fatal’ (1953), especially in this family

Fans who delight in Agatha Christie’s internal tropes will love “Funerals are Fatal” (1953, a.k.a. “After the Funeral”). It’s a page-turner with a family full

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‘Brahms: The Boy II’ (2020) all dolled up for silly scares

I almost laugh every time “Brahms: The Boy II” (2020) focuses in on the facial expression of the titular doll that’s supposedly terrorizing English-American couple

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‘Harvard Man’ (2001) tries to gimmick up a crime yarn

“Harvard Man” (2001) seems in a rush to get over, yet it’s also oddly slow-moving. I think there’s a good film in here somewhere –

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‘Curse of the Jade Scorpion’ (2001) a mildly jazzy jaunt

Music and visual style are backdrops to the great Woody Allen films, but I notice them more in the weaker ones. “The Curse of the

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‘Zero Cool’ (1969), 4th Lange novel, has zero originality

The John Lange books continue to read like practice novels for Michael Crichton as we arrive at the fourth entry, “Zero Cool” (1969). It came

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‘Last Séance’ (2019) gathers Christie’s spooky stuff

Agatha Christie was fascinated by the supernatural and paranormal – or at least the possibility thereof. But because her genre short stories are peppered across

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