Category: Travis
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Review: ‘The Tender Bar’
Ben Affleck Mixes Drinks And Laughs In George Clooney’s Enjoyable But Forgettable Coming-Of-Age Drama
Give George Clooney credit; whatever you think of him as both an actor and a filmmaker, he’s at least trying new and different things. His work now is as far removed from stuff like Monuments Men and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (still my favorite Clooney-directed film) as his latest, The Tender Bar, is from…
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Review: ‘A Hero’
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished In Asghar Farhadi’s Masterful Moral Drama
What does it mean to be a good person? Is it simply doing a good deed? Or does it go much deeper than that? If your actions aren’t purely out of the kindness of your heart, do they hold any weight whatsoever? And if you are imperfect, can you truly be innocent? Or guilty of…
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Review: ‘Jockey’
Clifton Collins Jr. Rides Into The Winner’s Circle In An Affecting, Intimate Horse Racing Drama
NOTE: This review was originally part of our Sundance Film Festival coverage. Jockey is open in theaters now.* Spend enough time at the horseraces and you begin to see beyond the showmanship of it all. It can be easy to caught up in the pomp and circumstance that comes along with the sport, especially during…
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Review: ‘The Tragedy Of Macbeth’
Denzel Washington’s Towering Performance Is Highlight Of Joel Coen’s Soulless Shakespeare Adaptation
My English teacher will hate me for this, but then she already knows: me and the works of William Shakespeare have never gotten along. Whatever others may see in his (assuming he actually wrote this stuff, which I’m not convinced of) long-winded, flowery words they’ve rarely struck a chord with me. And that goes for…
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Review: ‘The Matrix Resurrections’
A Surprisingly Rich Love Story Saves Lana Wachowski’s Derivative Sequel From Itself
In some ways, it’s amazing that Warner Bros. let The Matrix sit idle for as long as it has. Whether you were around in 1999 or not, chances are you know the film’s cultural impact, not just on action and sci-fi movies, but on video games, philosophy, and even religion. Shit like that doesn’t just…
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Review: ‘Licorice Pizza’
Paul Thomas Anderson’s Shaggy, Sweet, Nostalgic Tale of First Love Is The Year’s Best Film
Paul Thomas Anderson has proven over the years to be a director with a split personality. I’ve always liked that about him, obviously enough to name our site in honor of him. But I’d be lying if I said that just because he’s my favorite filmmaker that all of his work has stuck with me.…
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Review: ‘The Novice’
Isabelle Fuhrman Strives For Varsity In Lauren Hadaway’s Impressively Intense Rowing Drama
They say there’s no greater zealot than a convert. In Lauren Hadaway’s impressively intense rowing drama The Novice, Isabelle Fuhrman plays Alex Dall, a college freshman striving to make the university team. But Alex doesn’t give off team player vibes; far from it. She’s giving off serious loner vibes but soon becomes obsessed with the…
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Review: ‘Sing 2’
Charming Animated Sequel Delivers A Bigger Show That Can’t Quite Top The Original
Illumination will probably always be known, for better or worse, as the Despicable Me folks who gave us those annoying/adorable Minions. But they have some real charmers under their belt, too, and one of those was 2016’s Sing, a film that surprised me with its crowd-pleasing jukebox musical spirit. I don’t normally think of myself…
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Review: ‘National Champions’
Stephan James And JK Simmons Lead A Propulsive, Honest Sports Drama About The Fight To Pay Student-Athletes
There’s no football in National Champions. Not a single play. But this timely, topical adaptation of Adam Mervis’ play doesn’t need the gridiron to be one of the best movies about college athletics in years. Stephan James takes the field as All-Pro QB LaMarcus James who, joined by religious buddy and teammate Emmett Sunday (Alexander…
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Review: ‘Red Rocket’
Simon Rex Shoots His Shot In Sean Baker’s Nimble Dramedy About An Aging Pornstar
*NOTE: This review was originally part of our Middleburg Film Festival coverage.* The sounds of NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” blast in the opening moments of Sean Baker’s The Florida Project followup, Red Rocket. The guy listening to it seems too old for it; Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) is headed back home to Texas with his tail between his…