Top Movies of 2022

Anne Elliot is a non-conforming woman living with her family on the verge of bankruptcy even not suspecting that she can play Hellspin Casino to make a fortune. When Frederick Wentworth, her former lover, returns, she must decide whether she should put the past behind her or listen to her heart. This is an adaptation of Jane Austen's novel.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Nope

To put it more casually and in a way fitting the movie, horses say “nope” with fight-or-flight responses faster than and far before us humans. When Nope pushes your buttons and raises your pulse rate, follow what the horses do and you’ll fare well. Alas, we know humans behave differently and so does Jordan Peele. He knows man’s curiosity, perceived dominance, and other courage-warping temptations bend people to test survivability beyond their instinctual triggers until their own exit point or fatal failure.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Alone Together

The premise of Alone Together may suggest serendipity that is too easy. If this was Nancy Meyers, the threads of this movie would all end in laughs. Instead, the dramatic difficulties fleshed out by Katie Holmes and her cast prove otherwise. The direction and storytelling grace of Holmes’ results are very praiseworthy, especially during this continuing pandemic.

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MOVIE REVIEW: My Old School

Combining Cumming’s lifting presence, snippets of archival TV coverage, and the animated sequences, My Old School has beguiling charm mirroring the fascinating central figure and the wry smiles on the faces of the Bearsden alumni telling their yarns. Viewers will absorb this tall tale and ask how much fraudulence is either acceptable or too much in a true-life “fake it until you make it” story. There is an irreverent delight to be had measuring that scale person-to-person and case-by-case.

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PODCAST: Episode 72 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 72nd episode, two fed-up film critics, explosive dads, and stuntman school teachers Will Johnson and Don Shanahan got to have a full circle moment with the Russo brothers. Their follow-up to Cherry, on the first Cinephile Hissy Fit shows, is the new Netflix assassin action movie The Gray Man. Because both of our hosts like this movie against the norm, this episode spurred a detour into the current state of film criticism and whether or not critics can recognize or have fun anymore.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Relative

If Relative was trite, the plain circumstances or external vices would make everything turn out easily and conveniently. While family and good friends are the real answers for what makes matters of life easier, the effort of all involved to get there is hard. Smith understands that greatly, creating a relatable emotional obstacle course of cobwebs and intact skeletons in closets that promise to linger for future growth behind the credits.

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