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Trainwreck
(2015)
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Matthew Eng
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If Trainwreck ultimately fails to match the remarkable, politically-informed comedic zeniths of Schumer's superb sketch series... [it] still frequently impresses by further acquainting us with the radically refreshing transparency of Amy Schumer, actress.
Posted May 02, 2019
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The Wonders
(2014)
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Matthew Eng
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The Wonders is a coming-of-age tale unbound from the expectations of a genre that it remains undeniably hooked to at its heart, so that it's also a revelatory portrait of a family, a region, and a way of life.
Posted May 02, 2019
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The Rider
(2017)
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Matthew Eng
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Jandreau, no matter the closeness to his own cinematic equivalent, brings this yearning, good-hearted soul to life with a virtuosic application of body, mind, and heart.
Posted May 02, 2019
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Columbus
(2017)
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Matthew Eng
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The rare magic of Columbus, a human drama infused with a spooky, out-of-body ethereality, lies in its confident and ingenious execution.
Posted May 02, 2019
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Strong Island
(2017)
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Matthew Eng
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One of the rare films to embrace the full literary possibilities of the cinematic medium, in which the images conjured inside the mind can be just as vivid as the ones seen by the naked eye.
Posted May 02, 2019
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Loving
(2016)
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Matthew Eng
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Negga's performance captures the lightning of Mildred's love for Richard... But by bottling up this intensity and minimizing her own presence, Negga also captures the physical reality of a black woman living in a region entrenched in Jim Crow bigotry.
Posted May 02, 2019
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Don't Blink -- Robert Frank
(2015)
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Matthew Eng
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Don't Blink is the rare documentary that understands that the best way to elicit both appreciation and understanding for an artist's creations is to allow us to see these creations first-hand.
Posted May 02, 2019
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After the Storm
(2016)
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Matthew Eng
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The performances of After the Storm are indeed exceptional across the board, including pitch-perfect leading man Abe, as well as Maki, who distinguishes her bitter divorcée role with a crusty, steely impatience.
Posted May 02, 2019
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No Home Movie
(2015)
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Matthew Eng
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For a subject so deeply ingrained with sorrow, the punishing and purposely tedious nature of No Home Movie's structure feels entirely earned -- even imperative.
Posted May 02, 2019
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The Diary of a Teenage Girl
(2015)
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Matthew Eng
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Heller tells a remarkably rounded, rangy, and mixed-media coming-of-age story for a genre so typically one-track minded.
Posted May 02, 2019
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In Jackson Heights
(2015)
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Matthew Eng
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By placing such lengthy emphasis on these people and their perspectives, Wiseman not only encourages multiple viewpoints, but simultaneously forces us to consider them in an attentively thoughtful way that movies so rarely ask of their audiences.
Posted May 01, 2019
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Freeheld
(2015)
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Matthew Eng
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By respecting their viewpoints, their privacy, and their humanity, Freeheld is the dramatization Laurel and Stacie deserved.
Posted May 01, 2019
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Chevalier
(2015)
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Matthew Eng
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[Tsangari] has made Chevalier into a raffish and intelligent divertissement with one of the year's most applaudably in-sync ensembles.
Posted May 01, 2019
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Everything Is Copy
(2015)
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Matthew Eng
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In a way, we've never needed Nora Ephron more, but, as Everything is Copy is sure to remind you, we'll never stop needing her, period.
Posted May 01, 2019
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I'll See You in My Dreams
(2015)
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Matthew Eng
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Danner allows each and every member of this extensively winning ensemble to shine, without ever dimming her own awe-inspiring light. And she sings, too!
Posted May 01, 2019
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Embrace of the Serpent
(2015)
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Matthew Eng
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It's hard to argue with an artistic vision as utterly distinctive as Guerra's. Even when his story stutters, it's hard not to be seduced by the sheer immersion of his filmmaking.
Posted May 01, 2019
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Heart of a Dog
(2015)
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Matthew Eng
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Anderson is auteur, narrator, and guide, grasping our hands and settling us into her vast and gorgeous mind-scape through seamlessly-mixed media and an astonishingly enveloping sound design...
Posted Apr 09, 2019
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