Oscars

‘Back to the Future’ (1985) a nostalgic classic about nostalgia

“Back to the Future” (1985) is one of the all-time great films, utterly fun and free-wheeling, yet it rewards film nerds’ deeper explorations with its

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‘The Lighthouse’ wallows in misery, madness

The job of lighthouse keeper, from the long-ago days when the lights needed to be manned, has a pure and simple grandeur. The keeper had

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‘The Mask’ (1994) stands out even in Carrey’s big year

Has anyone had a better three films in one year than Jim Carrey’s 1994? He broke into the mainstream with “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” and

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‘Knives Out’ reinvigorates the whodunit

Who would’ve thought one of the most sneaky-cool films of 2019 would also be one you can recommend to your parents? Writer-director Rian Johnson’s “Knives

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‘Jojo Rabbit’ the cutest-ever film about a Hitler-loving kid

The two most remarkable things about “Jojo Rabbit” (2019) are 1, that it’s a mainstream comedy about a kid who loves Hitler, and 2, that

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‘Ford v Ferrari’ brings niche subject to 7,000 rpm life

Aside from its wonderful locations and car designs that capture the 1960s, director James Mangold’s “Ford v Ferrari” (2019) is a sober re-creation of a

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‘Parasite’ makes powerful point about class differences

Foreign filmmakers, particularly in Asia, have been making long, engrossing, surprising statements about human issues of the day for a long time, and “Parasite” (2019)

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‘Marriage Story’ an affectionate look at divorce

“Marriage Story” (2019, Netflix) is both a stark portrayal of why people should never get married (it costs way too much to get divorced) and

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Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman’ a meditative mob movie

“The Irishman” (2019, Netflix) pairs nicely as the back half of a double feature with 1992’s “Hoffa.” That film, which was likewise Oscar-nominated, focuses on

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‘Hoffa’ (1992) chronicles striking rise of union boss

David Mamet is known for writing con movies, and he sticks to that style even in his biographical/historical tales such as “Hoffa” (1992). Mamet’s worldview

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