Author: Grace Cogan
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Once (2007)
Directed by John Carney Drama R 1h 26m A funny thing, life is. It is an extremely rare thing that a movie captures life so beautifully, that it brings tears to my eyes during the opening sequence. “Once” is that film. There is very little dialogue in the first three minutes, just a long shot,…
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A Complete Unknown (2024)
Directed by James Mangold Drama/Biopic R 2h 21m Something somewhat strange happened to me when I saw “A Complete Unknown”. I have never been a Bob Dylan die-hard, although I do deeply respect his writing and will boldly state that several of the songs, he penned are some of the greatest ever written. But listening…
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Saturday Night (2024)
Directed by Jason Reitman Comedy/Thriller/History R 1h 49m Even if you’ve never seen an episode, you know the impact. “More Cowbell” “The Coneheads”, “The Wolverines”, “Emily Litella”, “Matt Foley – Inspirational Speaker”, “The Californians”, “Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood”, “Church Lady”, “Close Encounters”, “David Pumpkins”. All are comedy sketches brought to life by the talented ensemble casts of one…
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A Few Good Men (1992)
Directed by Rob Reiner Legal/Thriller R 2h 18m Last week, I remedied a lifelong mistake of having never seen A Few Good Men. I have been a Sorkin fan since seeing his riveting stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird in 2018. What followed was a foray into “The Newsroom” and the deeply lauded “The West Wing.” Other films of…
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Trap (2024)
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan Thriller/Horror/Crime PG-13 1h 45m M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller, Trap, embarks on an emotional roller-coaster for the first hour, then becomes a dragging dread for the final act. I don’t necessarily mean that the movie is bad, in fact I found it quite entertaining. But the final act of the film, including – what I…
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The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Directed by Frank Darabont Drama/Crime PG-13 2h 22m I first saw The Shawshank Redemption on January 11th, 2019. I was at home, recovering from my first knee surgery and my mother was teaching an evening class over at Benedictine. When my father got home from work, he fed the animals, came in, joined me in the back room, and showed…
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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
Directed by Tim Burton Comedy/Fantasy/Horror PG-13 1h 44m From Dostoevsky references to a Mario Bava parody, Tim Burton’s long-awaited Beetlejuice Beetlejuice delivers a ghoulishly good time at the movies! After three decades, audiences have returned to everyone’s favorite haunted house. In said house, is everyone’s favorite demon/bio-exorcist, whose name you dare not udder three times! 2024 has seen its…
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