Tag Archives: Cinema

July 31

A Ghost Story (2017)

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a haunting reflection on grief and what lies beyond the last heartbeat

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July 28

The Man (2017)

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a tense Nordic essay on ageing, art, and father-son rivalry

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July 25

Paris Can Wait (2016)

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a delicious film title promising much but delivering little

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July 21

Dunkirk (2017)

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a combat spectacular loosely based on Dunkirk history

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July 17

The Beguiled (2017)

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a beguiling exercise in form over substance

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July 13

Maudie (2016)

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a gentle portrait of a gentle artist

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July 10

It Comes at Night (2017)

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a chilling dystopian tale about inner demons

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July 06

Lady Macbeth (2016)

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a shallow Gothic tale with Shakespearean pretensions

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July 03

Chocolat (2016)

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the funny-sad story of France’s first black circus entertainer

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June 29

A Quiet Passion (2016)

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a finely crafted portrait of the revered American poet Emily Dickinson

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June 26

Una (2016)

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a tense essay on moral boundaries in a child sexual abuse case

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June 22

Churchill (2017)

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an unsubtle but beautifully produced character study of Winston Churchill

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June 19

The Death & Life of Otto Bloom (2016)

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a clever mockumentary about the concept of time

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June 14

My Cousin Rachel (2017)

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superbly produced Gothic romantic thriller

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June 09

Wilson (2017)

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pointless film about an obnoxious self-obsessed nobody

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June 05

Norman (2017)

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whimsical character study of a lonely Jewish fixer

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May 31

Don’t Tell (2017)

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landmark battle between a brave abuse victim and a heartless church school

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May 28

The Sense of an Ending (2017)

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slow introspective study of how we make sense of our lives

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May 25

Viceroy’s House (2017)

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superbly produced epic about the last Raj.

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May 21

Snatched (2017)

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mother-daughter road trip film that is a waste of comedic talent

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May 19

The Birth of a Nation (2016)

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a story of how religion and sexual abuse inspired a slave rebellion.

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May 15

Table 19 (2017)

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unexpectedly entertaining wedding sit-com.

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May 11

The Zookeeper’s Wife (2016)

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beautifully filmed story of heroism under the Nazi occupation of Poland.

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May 05

Frantz (2016)

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An exquisitely filmed essay on guilt, lies and loss in the between-wars era

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May 01

Berlin Syndrome (2017)

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taut psycho-sexual thriller about captivity and madness

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April 27

Get Out (2017)

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entertaining but predictable horror spoof mixed with clever racial satire.

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April 25

Their Finest (2016)

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nostalgic period drama about movie-making and romance during the London Blitz.

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April 19

Personal Shopper (2016)

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A well-acted but unoriginal iPhone-driven ghost story

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April 17

Bitter Harvest (2017)

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An important episode in history overshadowed by a mediocre love story.

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April 13

The Country Doctor (2016)

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A warm-hearted romantic drama set in a beautiful French village

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April 10

Big Eyes (2014)

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The story of domestic violence behind one of the biggest art frauds in history.

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April 02

Miss Sloane (2016)

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A gripping thriller of Stiletto power, political corruption, and stopping the gun lobby.

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March 29

Land of Mine (2016)

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A brilliantly filmed pulse-racing war story that needs to be told.

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March 26

Embers (2015)

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An original story about a dystopian world without memory

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March 22

A Cure for Wellness (2016)

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A new take on the Gothic sanatorium horror where wellness is not what you think.

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March 20

A Street Cat Named Bob (2016)

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A gritty tale of drug recovery with a ginger moggie called Bob.

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March 16

Christine (2016)

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A sad portrait of depression that led to a real on-air suicide.

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March 13

Collateral Beauty (2016)

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A complex lyrical essay on grief psychosis

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March 09

Alone in Berlin (2016)

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A story of how heroic postcards became small grains of sand in the Nazi war-machine

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March 06

Jasper Jones (2017)

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A coming-of-age, thriller and rom-com mashup that looks at dysfunctional lives in an Aussie country town.

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March 02

20th Century Women (2016)

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A warm funny coming-of-age story that asks “do you need a man to raise a man?”

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February 26

Silence (2016)

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A monumental story of persecuted faith and colonial conflict.

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February 24

A Man Called Ove (2016)

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A darkly funny portrait of love and grief in a cranky old man.

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February 22

Toni Erdmann (2016)

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A quirky story about a father-daughter bond that is unorthodox and endearing.

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February 19

The Lobster (2015)

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An absurdist black comedy about society’s obsession with mating.

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February 15

Patriots Day (2016)

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A well-made action-packed real life disaster story overlaid with a weak ‘human interest’ melodrama.

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February 12

The Innocents (2016)

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A soulful essay about atrocities committed against nuns during war.

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February 09

Fences (2016)

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An intimate and densely lyrical insight into the African-American experience.

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February 05

Perfect Strangers (2016)

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An entertaining and voyeuristic peek into the black-box of secrets: the iPhone.

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February 02

Hidden Figures (2016)

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A feel-good bio-pic about a remarkable episode in history.

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January 30

Denial (2016)

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An historical essay warning that manipulators of truth will always be among us.

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January 26

Loving (2016)

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a powerful story of an ordinary couple who changed history

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January 22

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

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Painful battles with inner demons made bearable by outstanding performances

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January 19

Moonlight (2016)

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A tapestry of lyrical moments and finely wrought detail in a journey for self-identity

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January 17

Jackie (2016)

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Natalie Portman gives a memorable performance of an unforgettable event.

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January 14

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

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One big quirky, intelligent, funny coming-of-age cliche.

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January 08

Passengers (2016)

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What could have been a great sci-fi ends up a rom-com space opera mashup.

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January 05

Southside with You (2016)

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A warm, intelligent, well ­told story about two people who became a global power-couple in celebrity politics

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January 01

Things to Come (2016)

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Post-divorce trauma has great cinematic potential but it goes nowhere in this story.

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December 29

Paterson (2016)

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A whimsical essay into the ordinariness of human existence

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December 28

Rosalie Blum (2016)

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A jigsaw puzzle of quirky characters connected by chance whose lives become entwined.

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December 23

Lion (2016)

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An immensely satisfying cinematic experience: visually stunning, narratively powerful, and an emotional whirlwind.

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December 21

Allied (2016)

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Action-packed espionage with an ordinary script and unconvincing performances

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December 15

Queen of Katwe (2016)

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Beautifully filmed, original and inspiring tale of triumph over adversity.

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December 11

La La Land (2016)

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A beautifully filmed dazzling retro musical about young dreams.

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December 06

The Family Fang (2016)

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A twisted tale of parental abuse under the guise of art

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December 04

The Fencer (2016)

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A well-crafted and touching tale about heroism without glory under Stalinist rule

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November 30

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016)

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An original and painfully satirical study of post-traumatic stress dis-order

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November 27

The Founder (2016)

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A tale of treachery, greed and a code of ethics toxic enough to spoil a Big Mac.

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November 23

I, Daniel Blake (2016)

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A confronting portrait of an ordinary man struggling for his dignity in an Orwellian world.

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November 20

Arrival (2016)

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A thought-provoking story with mediocre digital effects and lots of American propaganda

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November 17

The Neon Demon (2016)

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A story of hyper-vanity, deadly jealousy and a smattering of bright red cannibalism

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November 13

Elle (2016)

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A look into a woman’s parallel universe as perpetrator and victim of sexual violence

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November 09

The Accountant (2016)

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A mish-mash of confused storylines, random killings, and high level maths.

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November 06

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

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While some wrongs are beyond the law they are never beyond primal vengeance.

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November 03

Hell or High Water (2016)

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A visually engaging modern western with a post-GFC message.

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October 30

Julieta (2016)

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A darkly sensitive essay about the universal emotion of maternal guilt

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October 27

Inferno (2016)

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A sumptiously filmed thriller that turns into a corny parody

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October 25

I Am Not A Serial Killer (2016)

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A twisted horror that pits sociopathic teenager against a senile paranormal serial killer

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October 23

The Girl on the Train (2016)

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A female-driven pyschological thriller with a spectacular finale of feminine vengeance

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October 19

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

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Story of a humble hero in one of the most violent sensory assaults you can experience in a cinema

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October 17

Deepwater Horizon (2016)

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A digital effects spectacular of an oil-rig explosion tacked onto a modest melodrama back-story

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October 10

Elvis & Nixon (2016)

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A humorous historical account of an unlikely encounter between soul-mates from different worlds

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October 03

The Confirmation (2016)

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A young boy learns more about human values in a weekend than many learn in a lifetime

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September 29

The Queen of Ireland (2015)

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A nation’s rite of passage that celebrates diversity and the power of words

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September 26

Snowden (2016)

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A bio-pic thriller about a principled romantic and modest hero

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September 23

Nerve (2016)

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A satire thriller about the herd mentality that drives social media

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September 21

Spin Out (2016)

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Roaring dust-storms of utes and non-stop drinking in a confusion of juvenile slapstick sketches

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September 19

Birdman (2014)

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A stunningly successful black comedy played in emotional quicksand.

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September 12

Sully (2016)

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Masterful storytelling within a thoroughly riveting film

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September 05

Captain Fantastic (2016)

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A thoroughly engaging offbeat fable about conformity and difference

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August 24

Truman (2015)

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An unusually intense multi-layered story about grief told with great warmth and honesty

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August 17

Bad Moms (2016)

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Slapstick comedy on the shaming of stressed-out moms

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August 14

Down Under (2016)

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A comically lame quagmire of vilification and gratuitous violence.

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February 16

Trumbo (2015)

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the story of the 1950s right-wing purge of Hollywood

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