Favorite films

Recent reviews

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  Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks 2002

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  Long, observational documentaries have the easy criticism of being too tiresome. But some directors like Frederick Wiseman at least have justification in their approach that conjure up delicate film debate subjects like pacing, atmosphere, etc.

  However, I have no idea why Wang Bing included at least 20 minutes of his 551-minute documentary to shots from the head of a moving train. These scenes are so time-consuming you can just consider them intermissions.

  The actual subject matter is fascinating for at…

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  Scooby-Doo 2002

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  This is the most accurate casting based on a kitsch TV show since The Brady Bunch Movie. Even the Mystery Machine's most deflated tire, Freddie Prinze, knows he's supposed to be the dry, vain airhead. Matthew Lillard, Sarah Michelle Gellar and especially Linda Cardellini recreate the 2D flatness of their simple animated sources but inject enough humanity to amuse everyone who grew up watching Scooby.

  The CGI is so awful but the filmmakers did their best with plausible green screen…

Popular reviews

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  Boyhood 2014

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  In creating “Boyhood,” Richard Linklater pulled off an unprecedented cinematic feat: filming a handful of actors for 12 years to construct a family narrative. And yet “Boyhood” is a remarkably understated film.

  Watching two children grow into young adults in just over two hours can remind you of your own children’s or young relatives’ transformations: ‘Whoa, that went by fast.’

  The boy of “Boyhood,” Mason (Ellar Coltrane), is the film’s center. Yet the story isn’t fixated on him. Raised by…

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  Eraserhead 1977

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  It's comforting to see David Lynch too can make the 'labor of love' art film plenty of filmmakers before and after him created for their first feature. One of his best artistic tendencies – elevating simple domestic dialogue to melodramatic proportions – is displayed here. The story is hollow (like many debut films stretched to feature length) but the visual and audio effects are unique by even today's standards. The brilliant puppet created for the mutant baby, and an ominous mechanical drone throughout are highlights.