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Al Alexander
Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:
Al has been a film critic for The Patriot Ledger in suburban Boston since 1988, and the senior film critic there since 2001. His reviews also appear in newspapers associated with the nationwide Gannett chain. He is a member of the North Carolina Film Critics Association.
Publications:
Critics' Group:
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies (2024) |
It’s not near the caliber of “Parasite” or “Shoplifters,” but it’s up there, establishing Boonnitipat as a filmmaker to watch. He’s bold, irreverent and has a strong sense of time and place. But if I were his granny, I’d keep an eye peeled. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Sep 13, 2024
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Will & Harper (2024) |
A funny, illuminating journey that is supercharged by the delight of observing longtime pals redefining not just a friendship, but also how they perceive themselves. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Sep 13, 2024
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His Three Daughters (2023) |
Much of the credit goes to the wealth of insight bouncing off the pages of Jacobs’ near-impeccable script. But what drives those profound words home are the flawless performances by his three lead actresses, all at the top of their game. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Sep 10, 2024
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I'll Be Right There (2024) |
Great cast, evocative locations and hard truths on parenting - all part of the family comedy “I’ll Be Right There.” Yet with all that going for it, director Brandon Walsh works overtime blending it into dumbfounding pap featuring more cringes than laughs. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Sep 06, 2024
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Red Rooms (2023) |
With the endlessly intriguing “Red Rooms,” writer-director Pascal Plante turns the “horror genre” inside out via his insightful deconstruction of a somewhat warped segment of society so desensitized to murder that it's evolved into a punchline. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Sep 05, 2024
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The Thicket (2024) |
Journeyman director Elliott Lester doesn’t necessarily reinvent the Western with “The Thicket,” but cleverly injects new life into it with a huge assist from stars Peter Dinklage and Juliette Lewis as gunslinging rivals. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Sep 05, 2024
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The Wasp (2024) |
The movie's hornet’s nest of ideas will provoke thought. Not just about gender roles and man’s inhumanity to man but also the crucial necessity that we cling tight to our fast-fading empathy. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Aug 29, 2024
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Merchant Ivory (2023) |
Instead of a retrospective, you crave a deeper exploration of the two men who for 40 years partnered on and off the set. Other than a glancing mention or two of Merchant’s romantic betrayals, the information gleaned is blah at best and boring at worst. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Aug 29, 2024
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Strange Darling (2023) |
“Strange Darling” is not for the squeamish. It’s incredibly violent and borderline disturbing. But you cannot look away. It grips you from the start and keeps pulling you deeper and deeper into its depravity. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Aug 23, 2024
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Between the Temples (2024) |
The heart wants what it wants. And my heart wants more movies as offbeat, profound and charming as the Hebrew-centric “Between the Temples.” - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Aug 23, 2024
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Skincare (2024) |
I won’t lie, it’s a blast to watch, even downright funny at times. It’s also as empty as a used-up tube of lipstick. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Aug 17, 2024
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The Union (2024) |
Is “The Union” worth your time? Depends. As I said, it can get tedious and derivative. You’re better off simply re-watching “The LEGO Movie.” But if you like this sort of cheesy action junk, knock yourself out. I’ve seen worse, lots worse. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Aug 16, 2024
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Coraline (2009) |
You don’t need a bank of computers to create alluring animation, just a willingness to indulge the imagination. Something this ingratiating bit of puppet love does in spades. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Aug 16, 2024
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My Penguin Friend (2024) |
The movie is nothing short of delightful, with Reno sparkling and the penguins presumptuously outfitted in their Oscar tuxes. Who says birds can’t be hams? - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Aug 16, 2024
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Good One (2024) |
Donaldson never feels the urge to rush, nor does she feel the need to explain. It’s all there right before you to interpret as you see fit. But patience is a must. Donaldson is not out to please, she’s out to make noise. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Aug 16, 2024
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Cuckoo (2024) |
Singer warbles a peculiar tune bursting with catchy hooks. But in service of what? Beats me; something to do with ghouls, mishaps and transplanted eggs. Narratively, little of it adds up. Yet, Hunter Schafer and the great Dan Stevens make it sing. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Aug 09, 2024
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Daughters (2024) |
Some of the best tear-inducing moments you’ll see all year. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Aug 07, 2024
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Running on Empty (2024) |
If there’s one thing Daniel André’s “Running on Empty” gets right it’s the title, the perfect encapsulation of a cockeyed rom-com that’s completely out of gas. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Aug 07, 2024
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The Instigators (2024) |
It might be a little too inside Boston at times, with gags that only natives and longtime residents like me will fully appreciate, but its fundamental message about loyalty, friendship and working together is universal. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Aug 03, 2024
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Kneecap (2024) |
This ain’t Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast.” Thank God! It’s more like Danny Boyle on steroids, as Peppiatt and cinematographer Ryan Kernaghan perfectly capture that certain thrill in sticking it to the man. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Aug 03, 2024
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The Fabulous Four (2024) |
Director Jocelyn Moorhouse keeps the antics coming at a crisp pace, capitalizing on the mastery of four huge talents who share an Oscar, three Emmys and dozens of nominations among them. But why are they repeatedly called on to make fools of themselves? - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jul 25, 2024
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Young Woman and the Sea (2024) |
It’s all soooo old-time Hollywood. You’d swear “Young Woman and the Sea” was made in the 1940s instead of the 2020s. Yet, I must admit to eventually succumbing to the schmaltz. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jul 20, 2024
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Crumb Catcher (2023) |
It's quite an impressive showing by a newbie filmmaker who does far more than one might expected on a limited budget and with a quartet of unfamiliar actors. It’s all instantly forgettable, but in the moment you’re spellbound. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jul 19, 2024
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Clear Cut (2024) |
You’d have to be a sap to fall for the lumbering “Clear Cut,” a would-be thriller so inept it can’t see the forest for the trees. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jul 19, 2024
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Find Me Falling (2024) |
It’s fitting that much of the Netflix rom-com “Find Me Falling” unfolds at the edge of a cliff where it teeters between maintaining the high ground and crashing to the rocks below. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jul 19, 2024
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Longlegs (2024) |
Cage will give you nightmares. And in that respect, he delivers what the movie promises: to send shivers and inspire unease. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jul 12, 2024
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Skywalkers: A Love Story (2024) |
If you’re one of the couple’s more than one million followers on social media, you already know what these two rooftoppers are capable of when they ascend heavenward to cheat death. But if you’re not, boy are you in for a rush. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jul 12, 2024
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National Anthem (2023) |
Real life is messy, and the closing scenes should have reflected that. But then Gilford, a photographer by trade, is entering a new medium. His future is promising, though. Keep an eye on him. I sense this won’t be his last rodeo. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jul 11, 2024
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Lumina (2024) |
I’ve seen some pretty putrid sci-fi movies over the years but never anything as stupefyingly inept as the alien abduction drivel ironically titled “Lumina.” - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jul 11, 2024
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The Nature of Love (2023) |
Typical rom-com, right? Wrong! Chokri is too sophisticated for that. She’s more interested in how love – or what Sophia perceives as love – can easily erase rationality when lust is allowed to take hold and readily distort reality. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jul 05, 2024
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Kill (2023) |
Would it sound psychopathic if I were to tell you that the most enjoyable movie of the summer is a non-stop bloodbath with a death toll approaching 50? Well, call me crazy, but I’m not letting go of my assessment of the succinct and aptly titled “Kill.” - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jul 04, 2024
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Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024) |
A depressing, unimaginative iteration determined to recycle everything from Murphy’s worn-out fish-out-of-water schtick from the 1984 original. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jul 03, 2024
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Cottontail (2023) |
Can a mother’s adoration for Peter Rabbit impel an estranged father and son to go hopping down the bunny trail, hand in hand? Within the realm of the stilted family drama, “Cottontail,” the answer is a hippity-hoppity, yes! - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jun 28, 2024
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A Family Affair (2024) |
It’s fun seeing Kidman and Efron back together again, but regrettably, it’s of service to a by-the-numbers – especially No. 2 – affair that can’t be flushed soon enough. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jun 28, 2024
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Daddio (2023) |
Little of what transpires in “Daddio” rings plausible. And for about the first 12 minutes, I was ready to be let off at the next corner. But against my better instincts, resistance waned somewhere between the terminal and Belt Parkway. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jun 27, 2024
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Midas (2024) |
I can’t say I wasn’t intrigued, nor was I ever bored – just exasperated, particularly during a huge third-act twist that is tossed in more for effect than meaning. This is where Copeland’s endless charm and appeal charges to the rescue. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jun 27, 2024
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Thelma (2024) |
It’s inspiring, and Squibb and Roundtree nail it with an abundance of heart and tenacity. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jun 21, 2024
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Fancy Dance (2023) |
Building upon her fine work in “Killers of the Flower Moon” and the undervalued “Certain Women,” Gladstone establishes herself as one of the premiere actresses of her generation. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jun 21, 2024
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Tuesday (2023) |
After wasting a Wednesday on “Tuesday,” I feel it my duty to warn you not to do the same – on any day of the week. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jun 14, 2024
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Tiger Stripes (2023) |
Cynical? Eu is certainly that. But she effectively establishes her points, employing metaphor to denounce sexism and some of the worst misogynists, other girls. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jun 13, 2024
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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) |
The mere thought that we’ve seen the last of Frodo, Sam, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Merry, Pippin and Gollum is almost too much. If we must say goodbye, though, it’s best to do it when all involved are at the top of their game. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jun 10, 2024
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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) |
It possesses all of the magic and excitement of “The Fellowship of the Ring,” as it transports us deeper into an adventure matched only by “The Wizard of Oz” in scope and imagination. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jun 09, 2024
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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) |
Jackson solidly answers the call with a movie that’s an appealing amalgamation of dreamlike splendor, blood-splattering violence and old-fashioned heroics. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jun 08, 2024
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Banel & Adama (2023) |
An impressive debut for writer-director Ramata-Toulaye Sy, a Paris-born daughter of Senegalese immigrants who spent time in Dakar and was obviously appalled by the nation’s antiquated adherence to gender roles. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted Jun 07, 2024
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Robot Dreams (2023) |
The movie is dizzily surreal, yet it works because the subject is universal, transcending time and language, and is one that forces us to confront our own fears of loneliness and isolation. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted May 31, 2024
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Summer Camp (2024) |
Movie lovers over 60 are a vastly underserved demographic in Hollywood, demonstratively so when the few films geared toward them are as inane as the idiotic “Summer Camp.” - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted May 31, 2024
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Ezra (2023) |
“Ezra” is noble, well-meaning and highly entertaining in spots. But as a cohesive and coherent film, it’s severely lacking, its much-needed advocacy overshadowed by schmaltz and cliches. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted May 29, 2024
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The Dead Don't Hurt (2023) |
There are flashes of brilliance by Mortensen, like the wise choice to hire Marcel Zyskind to photograph the gorgeous vistas of Durango, standing in for 1860s Nevada. Alas, they are outweighed by the oversimplified writing and underdeveloped characters. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted May 29, 2024
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The Beach Boys (2024) |
The music, most of it sampled, is infectious. That, plus the powerful nostalgia factor rescue “The Beach Boys” from tedium. Yet, what’s here is little more than footprints in the Southern California sand. - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted May 24, 2024
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Hit Man (2023) |
The chemistry between Powell and Arjona is electric, sizzling like movie stars of old in lending this shaggy-dog comedy the oomph to render it a surefire hit, man - Movies Thru the Spectrum
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| Posted May 24, 2024
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