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Can You Ever Fo...
OK 83 Points 2018

Can You Ever Forgive Me? is not unforgivably bad, but is hardly a good movie either. The small stakes crimes of a literary criminal and her wages of sin trigger our morbid fascination with human train wrecks.

Is that so bad? No, but it ain’t enough to be fulfilling. Ultimately just OK, Melis…

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Fantastic Beast...
OK 66 Points 2018

The Crimes of Grindelwald is also The Parade of Obscurities, so convoluted are its developments over 2¼ hours. Unlike other J.K. Rowling movies, which have generally been discernible despite their depth, Fantastic Beasts 2 makes even the convoluted Avengers: Age of Ultron

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Creed II
Very Good 66 Points 2018

Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky franchise lives on, now centered on a new generation and an African-American hero. This all works and provides a dose of social relevance, making Creed II a solid entrant in the Rocky canon. It’s also a better than average boxing movie, largely because it follows the …

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WikChip Image Behind most good men is a father figure
Peppermint
Good 83 Points 2018

Jennifer Garner ably leads an action movie, convincingly playing an avenging mother who takes down an LA-based drug cartel and the corrupt law enforcement officers on their payroll. Will this be enough for the studio to order a sequel? Probably not, but it’s enough to be entertained by Peppermint.

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WikChip Image Peppermint Fury
Amazing Grace
Really Great 66 Points 2018

Aretha Franklin was never even that close to being one of my favorite soul singers. There, I’ve said it.
Diana Ross, Nina Simone & Mavis Staples all found more favor with me than did the Queen of Soul.

That’s now chang…

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WikChip Video The most sought-after concert film? Yes!
Aquaman
OK 83 Points 2018

Aquaman is a whole lotta waterlogged cheese, almost 2½ hours worth. It’s not a bad movie and certainly an OK time at the movies, but is kinda turgid, as DC movies so often are. Fortunately, the cast saves the day, starting with Jason Momoa, who makes a compelling superhero, if not an especial…

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WikChip Video Easter Eggs for those who want more
Ant-Man and the...
Great 66 Points 2018

Ant-Man and the Wasp is the first superhero movie to equally feature men and women, with the Wasp being Marvel’s first featured female superhero. As pop culture iconification goes, that’s pretty marvelous.

Equality’s great and all, but fortunately it’s not the only reason to recommend *Ant-M…

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WikChip Video This is how it's done.
Chappaquiddick
Really Great 83 Points 2018

Being a Kennedy came with compulsions, including sailing, drinking, womanizing and the presidency, those last with fatal effect. Ted Kennedy’s date with death didn’t lead to another dead Kennedy, but to the manslaughter of a loyal supporter: Mary Jo Kopechne, a name familiar to baby-boomers acros…

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WikChip Video She didn't drown. She suffocated, slo...
The Equalizer 2
Really Great 83 Points 2018

The legendary Denzel Washington etches another inimitable role into his peerless oeuvre as the returning Equalizer. Call him the Super Equalizer, able to right wrongs with a single, well-choreographed sequence of avenging ultra-violence. It’s an intoxicating brew, magnificently well presented, ev…

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WikChip Video Legendary & Important Scene
Ready Player One
Great 83 Points 2018

Ready Player One is plenty of fun, yet is leavened by SciFi seriousness. It’s also kind of a cult movie, yet worked for a newbie like me. The more pop culture you know, especially 80s pop culture, the more fun it is.

Steven Spielberg’s best SciFi in 25 years is often an extended visual tickl…

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WikChip Video Hundreds of Easter Eggs, yikes