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Peg Aloi
Tomatometer-approved critic
Publications:
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Hard Truths (2024) |
True to his masterful ways with casting and character development, Hard Truths is rich and powerful, a hard-hitting commentary on life’s unrelenting challenges, rendered with Leigh’s noteworthy sensitivity and depth. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Oct 27, 2024
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The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (2024) |
The Remarkable life of Ibelin is an impressive achievement on many levels: technical, artistic, emotional, and social. It’s a must-see. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Oct 27, 2024
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Caligula: The Ultimate Cut (2023) |
After 45 years, this controversial juggernaut of a film has finally arrived, in all its ambitious, hot, messy, gratuitous splendor. Do see it on the big screen if at all possible. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Aug 16, 2024
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The Devil's Bath (2024) |
The Devil’s Bath is not a vague arcadian thriller populated by antlered beasts and shadowy legends: this is a flesh-and blood depiction of real life, daily life as a harsh litany of suffering and emptiness for those at the bottom. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Jul 02, 2024
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Film Is Dead. Long Live Film! (2024) |
As thrilling as the stories of rescued footage are, the tales of what has been lost or willfully destroyed are harrowing. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted May 09, 2024
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Late Night with the Devil (2023) |
Late Night with the Devil considers how the analog media trickery of a bygone era may illuminate our current obsessions with what is real, how art is created, who should be believed and what, ultimately, should be feared. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Mar 22, 2024
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Good One (2024) |
This is a well-executed and rather naturalistic story about characters who learn what it means to be in the moment and observe what’s happening. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Feb 16, 2024
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Every Little Thing (2024) |
It is a celebration of compassion as an instinct that propels people, at least some of us, to deeds that heal our hearts and inspire the spirits of others. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Feb 16, 2024
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A New Kind of Wilderness (2024) |
The artful editing, and the subjects, who are earthy and genuine, ensure a viewing experience that is profoundly moving, beautiful, and insightful, even when it proves painful to watch. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Feb 16, 2024
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Never Look Away (2024) |
This film is a labor of palpable love and loyalty... - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Feb 14, 2024
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Handling the Undead (2024) |
All of these ingredients are melded into a haunting, human tale of loss and resilience. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Feb 14, 2024
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Little Death (2024) |
Little Death‘s unexpected trajectory will keep viewers guessing. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Feb 14, 2024
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The Promised Land (2023) |
The Promised Land is an opulent and moving period piece that captures a location and era rarely depicted on the big screen. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Feb 08, 2024
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Origin (2023) |
The breadth and intimacy of Origin‘s vision -- the personal becomes the historical -- is stunning, a searing portrait of collective trauma and the dark ideas that propel it. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Jan 25, 2024
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Society of the Snow (2023) |
Of course, the triumphant survival of fourteen passengers is at the heart of this astounding story. But this is not your standard feel-good fable about the indomitable human spirit triumphing over adversity. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Jan 11, 2024
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All of Us Strangers (2023) |
Andrew Haigh’s newest film is an unusual and unforgettable cinematic masterpiece. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Jan 04, 2024
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Wonka (2023) |
In a world that at times seems to have turned sour and colorless, Wonka brings much needed sweetness and beauty, making it a perfect diversion for the holiday season. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Dec 15, 2023
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Atanarjuat the Fast Runner (2001) |
Inuit sculptor Natar Ungalaaq is compelling as the brave, robust Atanarjuat, and the other Inuit actors give a raw authenticity to this unusual film. - Boston Phoenix
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| Posted Nov 08, 2023
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Where the Devil Roams (2023) |
Where the Devil Roams will have horror fans talking for years to come. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Nov 04, 2023
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Last Summer (2023) |
In Breillat’s hands, the story explores the shadow side of a high-powered life, and the performances are top notch, especially Samuel Kircher, who plays Theo with complexity and sensitivity. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Oct 25, 2023
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Shoshana (2023) |
The film unfolds with gentle suspense against a sumptuous backdrop (filmed along the coast of Italy, a convincing stand in for the Tel Aviv of nearly a century ago) that presents a poignant view of an elegant city on the brink of change and upheaval. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Oct 25, 2023
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Stopmotion (2023) |
The visuals are astounding; filled with unsettling claymation figures and darkly suspenseful atmosphere. Robert Morgan has crafted an impressive first feature that is certainly visually arresting. But the film lacks dramatic power... - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Oct 24, 2023
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Starve Acre (2023) |
Starve Acre is a satisfying addition to the growing crop of English folk horror narratives that venture past the edges of magic realism, entering into a wild realm that lies just beyond our waking vision. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Oct 24, 2023
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Unmoored (2023) |
A strong cast, including Kris Hitchen as Mark, a kind local man who befriends Maria, anchors this subtle story in gritty, plausible emotion. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Oct 23, 2023
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Eileen (2023) |
The period stylings on this film, directed by William Oldroyd (Lady Macbeth), are stunning, sensuous, and unforgettable. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Oct 23, 2023
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May December (2023) |
This unlikely scenario is rendered with wildly shifting tonal complexity, from soap opera to black comedy to intense psychological thriller. And there are searing performances from Moore, Portman, and Riverdale’s Charles Melton as Joe. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Oct 23, 2023
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Memory (2023) |
Some of the narrative feels implausible at times, but an excellent cast holds this somewhat dark but tender and redemptive story together. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Oct 23, 2023
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Priscilla (2023) |
Where the film soars highest is in its scrupulous attention to period detail, including a pitch-perfect soundtrack that doesn’t contain a single song sung by Elvis in its mix. The scenic and costume design is often breathtaking... - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Oct 16, 2023
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Monster (2023) |
Monster is ultimately a tender, moving story that delves into childhood’s more painful, unbearable moments and sharply conveys the struggle of adults trying to meet unachievable expectations. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Oct 16, 2023
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Paradise Is Burning (2023) |
Naturalistic performances anchor this strong narrative that explores, without fanfare, the painful struggles of adolescence and the nature of familial love. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Oct 16, 2023
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The Exorcist (1973) |
This extraordinarily moving and terrifying film has lost none of its power -- it makes the ersatz splatterfests that pass for horror movies these days look like ghoulish cartoons. - Boston Phoenix
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| Posted Sep 28, 2023
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Talk to Me (2023) |
The naturalistic dialogue, realistic relationships, and character-driven plot points -- enhanced by the performances of a tight and talented cast -- make the supernatural scares and brutal violence hit the viscera even harder. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Aug 02, 2023
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Barbie (2023) |
The film is proof that Barbie’s longevity as a cultural icon is a marvelous yet mysteriously resilient thing. Gerwig’s hard-edged but affectionate paean is sweeter than it is satirical, slightly more perky than political. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Jul 26, 2023
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The Lesson (2023) |
Troughton’s debut is well crafted, with some truly thrilling twists, infused with nervy suspense and an almost Gothic sense of unease. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Jul 13, 2023
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Blue Jean (2022) |
This incisive film doesn’t need to amplify its relevance; its quiet intelligence, embodied through the struggles of its protagonist, shows how small disturbances may, unnoticed, create momentous ripples. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Jun 21, 2023
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The Lost King (2022) |
The Lost King is an intriguing combination. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Apr 13, 2023
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Boston Strangler (2023) |
Written and directed by Matt Ruskin, this period thriller and biopic portrays ’60s Boston with grim color palettes and scrupulous detail. Every attempt at a Boston accent is spot on, and the excellent cast embodies their characters’ speech and mannerisms. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Mar 24, 2023
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Wildflower (2022) |
This well-acted coming-of-age story is funny and heartwarming. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Mar 24, 2023
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Living (2022) |
Despite Living’s themes of existential crisis and rebirth, Nighy never telegraphs sentimentality or showy epiphanies. In true Nighy style, this subdued and delicate portrait is an invitation rather than a proclamation. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Mar 15, 2023
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Emily (2022) |
Despite some occasional missteps of mood and underdeveloped subtexts, Emily traverses this vision of liberation with enormous sensitivity and daring. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Mar 02, 2023
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Animalia (2023) |
Animalia is also a very original paranormal drama that makes fascinating use of an apocalyptic tension filled with myriad implications and multiple layers of intrigue. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Feb 10, 2023
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Sorcery (2023) |
Sorcery is a film steeped in ancient Chilean folklore and location-specific culture. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Feb 10, 2023
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The Starling Girl (2023) |
Filmmaker Laurel Parmet’s beautifully rendered debut is artfully mature. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Feb 06, 2023
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Scrapper (2023) |
Scrapper is a delight — clever, colorful, with touches of magic realism and an authentic, comfortable engagement with working class youth. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Feb 06, 2023
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Run Rabbit Run (2023) |
The gothic ghost story vibe of this film is nuanced and many-layered; chilling scenes of terror are created without resorting to jump scares or special effects. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Feb 06, 2023
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The Disappearance of Shere Hite (2023) |
As the film soberly reminds us, many of the gains made have since been lost. It is a call, perhaps, to dig in our heels and do the work we all know is so important now. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Feb 06, 2023
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When It Melts (2023) |
This is a difficult film to watch, but its psychological nuance and artfulness cannot be denied. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Feb 06, 2023
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Bad Behaviour (2023) |
The cast is wonderful here, transcending a script that is perhaps too ambitious: the tone is uneven at times and the overlay of dark humor comes off as a bit forced. Still, Englert’s deep sensitivity as an actor is apparent... - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Feb 06, 2023
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Alice, Darling (2022) |
Alice, Darling is a potent reminder to women that they should trust their instincts -- and rely on their friends. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Jan 26, 2023
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The Pale Blue Eye (2022) |
For viewers weary of horror that embraces the minimalist and dystopian, The Pale Blue Eye -- chock-full of emotion, mystery, and romance from a bygone era -- is a welcome sight indeed. - Arts Fuse
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| Posted Jan 12, 2023
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