Mini Movie Reviews Archives
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Teen Spirit
Tinsel & Tine #MiniMovieReview TEEN SPIRIT writer/dir Max Minghella starring Elle Fanning seems to have already left the theaters, but I recommend finding it when it streams. It’s set in a small rural village somewhere in Eastern Europe. Fanning plays a quiet young girl without many prospects for an exciting life, when an American Idol type show comes through her town, and as a contestant, takes her on a journey into the music biz. I think HER SMELL (Elisabeth Moss) & VOX LUX (Natalie Portman) having come out in recent months, didn’t leave space for TEEN SPIRIT; that and the title, people associate Teen Spirit with Kurt Cobain, and this…
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ALADDIN
ALADDIN I’m still shocked that Disney greenlit Guy Ritchie and that Ritchie was interested in directing, seems such an odd choice, making #Aladdin the very first Guy Ritchie movie I truly enjoyed! I’m delighted by these remakes of favorite Disney animated features getting their live action turn, but I do wish they would space them out a bit. Dumbo, Aladdin and Lion King all in the same year! Why not give us a chance to anticipate the next one? Nevertheless, Aladdin translates to live action just as nicely as Beauty and the Beast, it’s as if your mind already conceived it, before actually seeing it. There’s a few tweaks and…
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Wine Country
Abby (Amy Poehler) decides to celebrate her friend Rebecca’s (Rachel Dratch) 50th birthday with a weekend getaway over Rebecca’s protestations that she wants a low-key celebration. Abby, Rebecca and four of their friends, whom they have known since they were young waitresses, decide to spend the weekend together in Napa. Rather than allow the women to relax and drink Abby wants them to adhere to a strict schedule, a way of seizing control as, unbeknownst to the group, she has recently lost her job. In fact, all her friends are struggling with problems of their own, stuff which gets revealed in between all the drinking, dancing & rolling down hills…
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MA
A lonely middle-aged woman befriends some teenagers and decides to let them party in the basement of her home. But there are some house rules: One of the kids has to stay sober, don’t curse, and never go upstairs. They must also refer to her as Ma. But as Ma’s hospitality starts to curdle into obsession, what began as a teenage dream turns into a terrorizing nightmare, and Ma’s place goes from the best place in town to the worst place on Earth.
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Poms and Booksmart
Synopsis: POMS is a comedy about a group of women who form a cheer leading squad at their retirement community, proving that you’re never too old to ‘bring it!’ Synopsis: BOOKSMART On the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more. Determined not to fall short of their peers, the girls try to cram four years of fun into one night.