Dann Gire
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Jewish lore inspires chilling but less-than-original horror film 'The Vigil'Feb 25, 2021 5:00 am - “The Vigil” — ★ ★ ½ Keith Thomas' atmospherically chilling, jump-scarey horror tale “The Vigil” eventually arrives at a narrative crossroads where it can go one of ...
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Low-budget 'Paranormal Prison' haunted by low stakes, storytelling slogFeb 18, 2021 5:00 am - “Paranormal Prison” - ★ ★ Early in the low-budget, haunted house-of-detention horror tale “Paranormal Prison,” Matthew, the wisecracking host of a low-rated online...
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Courtroom drama 'The Mauritanian' a tough look at who we areFeb 11, 2021 5:00 am - “The Mauritanian” - ★ ★ ★ Whenever something really bad or politically embarrassing occurs in the United States, recent politicians have raced to invoke the popula...
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Chloe Zhao's 'Nomadland' takes audiences on raw, real, wondrous journeyFeb 11, 2021 5:00 am - “Nomadland” — ★ ★ ★ ★ Few films possess the power to alter our world views, to rewire how we think and prioritize, and to increase our awareness of the tiny, miracu...
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Mismatched Owen Wilson, Salma Hayek struggle in confusing sci-fi mess 'Bliss'Feb 04, 2021 5:00 am - “Bliss” - ★ ½ Mike Cahill's ambitious science-fiction/psychological drama “Bliss” suffers from two extremely big drawbacks. First, its convoluted, minutia-obsessed...
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Denzel Washington's deputy the only arresting part in problematic 'Little Things'Jan 28, 2021 5:00 am - “The Little Things” - ★ ★ ½ “It's the little things that get you caught,” wryly observes Denzel Washington as a county sheriff's deputy named Joe Deacon. That's tru...
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Stanley Tucci, Colin Firth shine brightly in understated love story 'Supernova'Jan 28, 2021 5:00 am - “Supernova” - ★ ★★ ½ In Harry Macqueen's restrained and elegantly subtle love story “Supernova,” both Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci turn in incandescent performance...
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Carey Mulligan elevates 'Promising Young Woman' into feminist vigilante thrillerJan 14, 2021 5:00 am - “Promising Young Woman” - ★ ★ ★ ½ “It's every guy's worst nightmare!” says a guy, talking about being accused of sexual assault. “Can you guess what every woman's worst ...
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Brilliant 'Herself' delicately balances optimism with brutal realities of domestic abuseJan 07, 2021 5:00 am - “Herself” - ★ ★ ★ ★ Phyllida Lloyd's domestic drama “Herself” believes in the essential goodness of the common person, and the inevitable triumph of honesty and generosi...
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Big ideas, small screens - Dann Gire's Top 10 movies of 2020Dec 27, 2020 6:18 am - As the old saying goes, hindsight is 2020. And movie fans are among the throngs of people who want to see 2020 in hindsight. It was a year in which COVID-19 brought movi...