Tag: january 2023
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‘Les Girls’ Does Both Too Much and Not Enough
This musical, historically significant for being Kelly’s last under an MGM contract originally ratified in 1942, feels less like a victory lap for the storied dancer-actor than a winded last few steps toward the finish line.
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‘Infinity Pool,’ Reviewed: An Interesting Premise, a Fun Mia Goth Performance, and Not a Lot Else
Plus: ‘To Leslie.’
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Forbidden Love and Old Scandals in ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’
The movie’s genuine warmth toward its characters and the stories it tells makes up for most, though hardly all, of its flaws.
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A Touching, Tentative Midlife Romance in ‘Starting Over’
Burt Reynolds, sans mustache, gives one of his best performances in Alan J. Pakula’s tender dramedy.
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‘Skinamarink’ Makes You Feel Like a Little Kid Again
‘Skinamarink’ taps into a child’s fear of the dark — and the monsters maybe lurking with it — with chilling clarity.
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Gene Kelly and Judy Garland Are Off the Charts in ‘The Pirate’
Vincente Minnelli’s ‘The Pirate’ is one of the oddest movies to come out of MGM’s musical golden era; it’s also among the most fun and boundary-pushingly playful.
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Struggling to Care About Billy Liar
It’s a mostly effective study of a young man who craves artistic success but isn’t willing to put in the work to make it happen, but it’s not very good at actually pulling us in.
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Short Takes: ‘Sick,’ ‘Broker,’ and ‘Women Talking’
A slasher, a road movie, and a stagey drama.
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‘Cover Girl’ Doesn’t Quite Know What to Do with Its Stars
There are a handful of moments in this hit 1944 musical where Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly remind you of their greatness, but they’re largely underserved by Charles Vidor’s static direction.
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The Cautious Optimism of ‘The Big City’
‘The Big City’ is blunt about the professional and personal difficulties that come with shifting tides.
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Overnight Successes and Falls from Grace in ‘Babylon’
‘Babylon’ intoxicatingly — if exaggeratedly and not always accurately — evokes the sugar-rush quality of silent moviemaking and the behind-the-scenes dramas surrounding them.
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The Best Movies of 2022
Looking back at a great year for cinema.
Peterson Reviews 