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Aftersun - Movie Review Critics Score - 7 of 10 General Audience Score - 5 of 10 The father/daughter relationship is something I cannot speak to with experience, as currently a father of two sons, my dream of walking a daughter down the isle one day is likely to go unfulfilled. But I can only imagine the sweat, blood and tears that could and do go into keeping a little girl safe and ready to take on the world when she comes of age. A few of the elements and nuances of raising a daughter in this day and age are addressed in the new A24 film from writer/director Charlotte Wells, Aftersun. This is an intimate character study about a father spending time with his pre-teen daughter over what we suppose to be her summer vacation. Charlotte wisely leaves many aspects of the story ambiguous, we’re simply here to spend time with a father and daughter as they snorkel, sunbathe and strengthen a fragile bond that so many mistakes in life are capable of loosening. It’s a heartwarming story that man...

Resurrection - Movie Review Critics Score - 7 of 10 General Audience Score - 7 of 10 When it comes to the Academy Awards and Oscar contenders, especially in the varying acting races, the horror genre is regularly and inexplicably ignored. As a shining example, Lupita Nyong’o was passed over by the Oscar awards body for Best Actress when her two-fold performance in Us from 2018 was undeniably one of the best performances of the year, possibly among the best of the decade. This year we’ll be in the same exact scenario with Rebecca Hall, a severely underrated actress that’s been churning out great performances for years, who stars in the new thriller/horror film from IFC, Resurrection. When I tell you, Hall is unbelievably good in this movie, I’m probably making an understatement. I’ve immediately placed her at the top of my personal Best Actress performances of the year, albeit without still having seen many of the supposed contenders as of this writing. While the film around Hall doesn’...

Men - Movie Review Critics Score - 7 of 10 General Audience Score - 5 of 10 What does the phrase Deus Ex Machina mean? It comes from Latin origins and has the general meaning of “god out of a machine”. It’s a reference to a mechanism of storytelling, used to refer to an unexpected plot device that gets someone out of a tight spot. An example of this would be the Tyrannosaurus Rex appearing suddenly at the end of Jurassic Park to prevent the velociraptors from eating our main characters. Back in 2014 we got a little film from debut director Alex Garland called Ex Machina, a fantastic piece of filmmaking, which he followed up with Annihilation in 2018 and earlier this year with the new A24 film Men. If you’ve seen any of Garland’s films, you know the formulaic storytelling of the major studio films is not his thing, his visionary filmmaking is exciting and fresh. The Deus Ex Machina plot contrivances of a genie appearing in the cave of wonders to save Aladdin isn’t what you should expect...

Good Luck To You, Leo Grande - Movie Review Critics Score - 7 General Audience Score - 7 As we exit the summer and enter the fall, the movie industry changes gears and we movie from mainstream blockbuster films to more smaller films that have their eyes on Oscar award potential. When it comes to Best Actress in 2023, Cate Blanchett in Tar, Ana De Armas in Blonde and maybe if the multiverse aligns, Michelle Yeoh from Everything Everywhere All At Once will be among the names of those hopeful to snag a nomination. Without a doubt, one name that should be included in this conversation is Emma Thompson for her portrayal of Nancy Stokes in Good Luck To You, Leo Grande. Thompson is delightful alongside the also impressive Daryl McCormack in this intimate character study of a middle aged woman in search of some bedroom adventures that she’s never known. This film is now available to stream on Hulu and from the opening moments as Thompson slips out of her flats and into a sexier dress shoe, we’...