Favorite films

Recent reviews

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  The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford 2007

  ★★★½ Watched 15 Dec 2024

  the cinematography is stunning, the acting is perfect, and the movement remains tense over 160 minutes, despite the preordained outcome — yet the movie falls inexplicably flat. the psychological dance between james and ford lacks depth although it stretches out languorously over so much time, reduced to a contest of paranoia vs. sociopathy in which the former's determination to avoid an ignominious death or capture at the hands of the state wins over the latter's narcissism.

  all the characters are…

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  Berenice Abbott: A View of the 20th Century 1992

  Watched 04 Sep 2023

  as intimate a portrait of an artist as you can find. not only a documentary on abbott's life and work, but by nature on photography, art, the american 20th century, packaged in a dense fifty minutes. up-front, blunt, brash in the particular american way, a cheery optimist tempered by discernment and high standards, a cool-headed rationalist, yet a closeted romantic. "i have always been a lover:" wedded to no one but her camera, not even, contrary to what she said,…

Popular reviews

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  Roman Holiday 1953

  ★★★★½ Watched 07 May 2021

  truly an eternal beauty, graceful, charming, dazzling... and rome looks good too, with audrey hepburn in it

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  The Double Life of Véronique 1991

  ★★★★★ Watched 05 Feb 2021

  hard to explain but the emotions run easy. beautiful and magical

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