Author: Chad Comello
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6 Reasons ‘National Treasure’ Is My All-American (Not) Guilty Pleasure
I pledge allegiance to Nicolas Cage’s big, beautiful, bonkers 2004 action-adventure film.
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‘Lincoln’ is the Better Angel of Biopics
As both an American history lover and a cinephile, I’ve seen so many ways a biopic can go wrong. Steven Spielberg’s 2012 masterpiece Lincoln avoids all of them.
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Review: ‘Power Ballad’ is a sincere ode to why music matters
John Carney’s bone-deep sincerity, cheeky humor, and musical populism are on full display in his latest film starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas.
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Review: ‘Chili Finger’ is exactly what you’d expect from a movie called ‘Chili Finger’
With a light touch and some dark moments, Edd Benda and Stephen Helstad’s offbeat comedy thriller Chili Finger sets two empty-nesters off on a rather wacky and very Midwestern adventure.
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Review: ‘Tuner’ plays the crime thriller in a familiar key
The narrative feature debut of documentarian and writer-director Daniel Roher follows a reserved piano tuner with a hearing disorder who turns his talents to safecracking.
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Review: ‘Late Shift’ spotlights an overworked nurse on the brink
Petra Volpe’s new film is not only a compelling work of stripped-down cinema, but also important viewing for non-medical civilians like myself only experience healthcare as a patient.
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Review: ‘The Summer Book’ is a serene meditation on loss and coming of age
Author Tove Jansson was best known for her Moomin children’s books, but it’s her acclaimed novel that’s been turned into a feature film—and a lovely one at that.
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‘Whiplash’ Live in Concert: 5 Takeaways
Our thoughts on seeing Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago as part of a live concert experience conducted by Justin Hurwitz.
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Book Review: ‘Lost in the Stream’ finds a way toward a richer movie-watching life
The debut book from content creator and physical media evangelist Jeff Rauseo argues against the streaming-centered status quo.
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Minor Characters in ‘Back to the Future’, Ranked
Marty, Doc, and Biff are iconic names in movie history. But what about other citizens of Hill Valley?
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I Found Religion in ‘Palm Springs’
The characters in Max Barbakow’s terrific 2020 time-loop comedy Palm Springs confront their existential crisis with denial, anger, and curiosity. As someone who left the religion of my youth, I found that very familiar.
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Review: ‘A Little Prayer’ is a small movie with a big heart
In writer/director Angus MacLachlan’s quiet, unpretentious dramedy, a small-town Southern family reckons with each other and themselves.
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Review: ‘Never Not Yours’
Family dramedy is a time-tested genre, and Never Not Yours dutifully hits many of its hallmarks with an earnestness that honors the messiness of being human.
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Review: ‘An Autumn Summer’
There’s just no way I wasn’t gonna go for Jared Isaac’s debut feature An Autumn Summer, a sincere coming of age story with timeless and universal themes at its center.
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Review: ‘Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts.’
Though this documentary has a rather thin crust of a premise, it gets surprisingly deep dish as it profiles the various businesses operating in converted Pizza Hut buildings around the United States.
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Review: ‘Peacock’
Echoing the deliciously deadpan humor of Force Majeure, Bernhard Wenger’s indelible debut feature follows a professional chameleon hired out by an agency to play all sorts of roles.
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Review: ‘The Line’
In Ethan Berger’s feature debut, a new fraternity pledge creates a rift that sparks dire consequences when things turn dark.
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Review: ‘The Last Republican’
An infuriating and illuminating documentary that follows Rep. Adam Kinzinger during his lonely battle against Trump and his own party.