Dann Gire
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Pixar scores a modest marvel in romantic, opposites-attract comical fantasy 'Elemental'Jun 15, 2023 5:00 am - “Elemental” - ★ ★ ★ Charming. Delightful. Spectacularly stunning. “Elemental” clearly belongs on Pixar's periodic table of animated features, right down to the bubbling ...
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'Boogeyman' an atmospherically overwrought, suspense-challenged collection of easy scares, moldy clichesMay 31, 2023 6:00 am - “The Boogeyman” - ★ ★ “The Exorcist” director William Friedkin famously observed that the scariest thing in a horror film is a closed door. The scariest thing in Rob Sa...
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Overly long 'Little Mermaid' remake is far less fun than its 1989 animated originalMay 24, 2023 6:00 am - “The Little Mermaid” - ★ ★ Just wondering: Why do all the superbly detailed underwater scenes with CGI production designs look like outtakes from “Avatar: The Way of Wa...
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Improvise! That's how 'Are You There God?' director elicited natural performances from film's young actorsApr 28, 2023 6:00 am - For almost half a century, novelist Judy Blume had a single word for filmmakers interested in creating a movie from her iconic 1970 book "Are You There God? It's Me, Mar...
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Sisterly devotion meets a multitude of movie references in boldly deranged, multi-pop-cultural 'Polite Society'Apr 27, 2023 6:00 am - “Polite Society” - ★ ★ ★ ½ It seems like such a tiny thing, a simple bump in the road, yet it demonstrates the dedication to detail that writer/director Nida Manzoor br...
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Rachel McAdams blossoms in Blume's controversial story of pre-adolescent angst, struggleApr 27, 2023 6:00 am - “Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.” - ★ ★ ★ ½ One scene in this movie caused me to shed a tear or two, and it happened when Rachel McAdams, playing Barbara Simon, t...
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Low 'Rise': Fifth 'Evil Dead' film a disappointingly derivative drama-traumaApr 20, 2023 6:00 am - “Evil Dead Rise” - ★ ★ This review has not been written for hard-core horror fans who've been waiting with bated (and baited) breath for a modernized, gory-fied update ...
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Game-inspired fantasy adventure 'Honor Among Thieves' hides a few treasures amid long running timeMar 30, 2023 6:00 am - “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” - ★ ★ ½ The major thief in “Dungeons && Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” turns out to be none other than the charmingly British H...
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'Wick' a slick pic: Over-stuffed action sequel a success of excessMar 23, 2023 6:00 am - “John Wick: Chapter 4” - ★ ★ ★ What we get in the fourth John Wick action thriller resembles an elaborate microcosm of the entire James Bond film franchise neatly captur...
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Light laughs, dark drama don't mix well in awkward 'Moving On'Mar 16, 2023 6:00 am - “Moving On” - ★ ★ This slightly cringey, comically tone-deaf movie doesn't quite qualify as a black comedy. More like a gray-beigey one that falls far short of its inte...