Review: Julieta (2016) ★★★½
I have postponed writing about several of Pedro Almodóvar’s films, including Julieta, but not because I didn’t find them worthy
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Film Reviews
Read Matthew Jones’s reviews of new releases, independent films, cult cinema, and overlooked works from across film history. Each review looks beyond whether a film succeeds or fails to examine what it reveals about identity, morality, politics, society, and the human experience.
Review: By the Sea (2015) ★★★½
Angelina Jolie’s contemplative drama By the Sea is, if nothing else, surprisingly self-aware. Though for all of the things it
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Review: Prom Night (1980) ★½
Paul Lynch’s Prom Night is not a only disappointment because it is derivative of other superior films (namely Halloween and
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Review: The Nun (La Religieuse, 2013) ★★★★
Guillaume Nicloux’s dramatic film, The Nun (French Title: La Religieuse), based on the 1796 novel by Denis Diderot, is a
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Nathalie… (2003) Review: Desire and Deception
As an American, I always admire the cavalier attitude that the French seem to have toward sex. A friend of
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Review: The City of Lost Children (1995) ★★½
There is no denying that Terry Gilliam is a brilliant filmmaker, and he is deserving of the veneration and even
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Review: My Cousin Rachel (2017) ★★
Having seen a number of period films set in Victorian England, I have admittedly allowed them to blend together, forming
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Review: El Crimen del Padre Amaro (2002) ★★½
The Catholic Church has a long history of entangling itself in sex scandals, despite constant attempts from within the organization
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Review: Copacabana (2010) ★★★½
It is always satisfying to see a supremely talented actor in role that fits their personality and abilities perfectly. Some
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Review: No Escape (2015) ★★
One aspect of violent revolutions that is easily overlooked in our history lessons is collateral damage, or more specifically, the
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Review: The Little Hours (2017) ★★★½
There is a popular trend that has worked its way through the comedy world for years, and now it has
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Review: Cama Adentro (Live-In Maid, 2004) ★★★★½
Some filmmakers try and fail to capture the day-to-day struggles of both the rich and poor, ending up with something
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Review: The Disaster Artist (2017) ★★★★
Like most people who watched The Room (2003), I found myself completely fascinated with Tommy Wiseau, the enigmatic star and
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Review: Top Secret! (1984) ★★★
Looking back at parody films through the years, I’ve come to realize that there isn’t much that can be said
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Review: The Big Sick (2017) ★★
As a longtime fan of Kumail Nanjiani’s standup, I had high hopes for The Big Sick, maybe too high. In
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The Best Offer (2013) Review: A Very Hollow Mystery
Giuseppe Tornatore’s The Best Offer is visually elegant and built around an intriguing art-world mystery, but its blunt characterization and predictable ending leave it emotionally hollow.
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Review: The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) ★★★★
A difficult part of writing a review for The Killing of a Sacred Deer is that it is almost impossible
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