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FROM FRED AND GINGER TO ‘LA LA LAND’: A GREAT NEW BOOK

Books Leonard Maltin
4508

THE MOVIE MUSICAL!  By Jeanine Basinger (Knopf) I promised myself a gift for the holidays: time enough to read Jeanine Basinger’s 634-page book about movie musicals. I’m so glad I made good on that promise. What a wonderful addition to my library, and what fun it was to devour. Jeanine Basinger is a brilliant woman who is articulate but refreshingly plain-spoken. She really knows her subject, as is evident from the films she mentions—not just classics but bread-and-butter films from the studio era like Shine On, Harvest Moon, which she cites as an antidote to more pretentious modern-day musicals like Moulin Rouge and Everyone Says I Love You.     This is not a dry history lesson but an interpretive survey of the musical film from its infancy to…

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UNCUT GEMS: CONTROLLED CHAOS

In Theaters Leonard Maltin Movie Reviews
7447

Everything you may have heard or read about Uncut Gems is true: it’s tough to watch, especially at the start. In-your-face filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie throw a lot at us in the opening sequence, which establishes the tone of their movie and the frenzied life of its protagonist, a high-stakes jewelry store owner (Adam Sandler) who works in the diamond district of Manhattan. Anyone who’s ever spent a little time there will recognize the cacophony of life on West 47th Street, both inside the showrooms and on the sidewalk. This is amplified by Daniel Lopatin’s score, which is loud and every bit as off-putting as Sandler’s character—at first. It’s Sandler’s inherent likability that helps make Uncut Gems palatable. His character is insufferable but somehow fascinating, a compulsive gambler and…

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MY TOP FILMS OF THE YEAR

In Theaters Leonard Maltin Movie Reviews
13465

People love lists because they stimulate discussion and debate. I don’t enjoy compiling them because they are so arbitrary, but who am I do sit out this year-end ritual? I can’t call this a “top ten” because I couldn’t winnow my choices down from thirteen. They are in no particular order except for Parasite, which remains my favorite this year. As for documentaries, there are many I admired this year—One Child Nation, American Factory, Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, Where’s My Roy Cohn?, Mike Wallace is Here, to name just a few—but the one that lingers in my mind more than any other is The Biggest Little Farm. It’s a must-see. You can read my full reviews by clicking on the film titles below.  …

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1917: A WARTIME EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER

In Theaters Leonard Maltin Movie Reviews
6137

1917 wastes no time establishing its premise and introducing us to its leading characters, two young British soldiers (newcomers George Mackay and Dean-Charles Chapman) who are handed a perilous assignment: deliver an urgent message that will stop thousands of troops from walking into an enemy trap. Without further ado we take off with them and never leave their side for the next two hours. Many films claim to be immersive but this one genuinely is. The camera makes us a participant in the action and only occasionally gives us a chance to catch our breath. There is no way to anticipate the horrors our heroes will witness or the trials they will endure. Just when they’ve cleared one hurdle another one emerges: mud, a mountain of…

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WHAT SHE SAID: A VALUABLE DOC ABOUT PAULINE KAEL

In Theaters Leonard Maltin Movie Reviews
4154

Believe it or not, there was a time when film critics were widely discussed and debated, none more so than Pauline Kael during her long tenure at The New Yorker. Equal parts essayist, crusader and provocateur, she famously championed emerging talents and held them to account when they disappointed her. Rob Garver’s valuable documentary will serve as a primer for those who don’t know about Kael and an evocative reminder of what she meant to those of us who grew up reading her. Using home movies, talk show clips, flashes of vintage films, and interviews with friends and admirers like Quentin Tarantino and David O. Russell, What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael is stimulating and informative. I learned about Kael’s struggle to get by as a…

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LITTLE WOMEN: AS GOOD AS IT GETS

In Theaters Leonard Maltin Movie Reviews
5821

I love the 1994 version of Little Women written by Robin Swicord and directed by Gillian Armstrong, and I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the 1933 adaptation directed by George Cukor and starring Katharine Hepburn. I didn’t think either one could be topped or even equaled, but now I have to eat my words. Actress-turned-filmmaker Greta Gerwig has done the seemingly impossible: in a troubled world beset by cynicism she has created a Little Women that is physically and spiritually beautiful. The primary requisite to pull off such a feat is inspired casting, and Gerwig has made impeccable choices: Saoirse Ronan is a perfect Jo, the intellectual tomboy who serves as ringleader for her three sisters. We first meet her as a forthright young woman…

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STAR WARS: VARIATIONS ON A THEME

Exclusive In Theaters Leonard Maltin Movie Reviews
10623

I saw Star Wars in 1977 at the Loews State Theater in Manhattan, now long-gone. Little did I know that the universe George Lucas created would still be alive and well decades later. Diehard fans have a singular attachment to this series, and right after the new installment’s premiere I overheard debates arguing the pros and cons of what we’d just seen. I can only speak for myself. I had a good time watching J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, even though I felt sucker-punched more than once. The filmmaker knows that this is the last time he (or possibly anyone) will get to play with George Lucas’s original concept and characters and his giddiness gets the better of him. Without spoiling any surprises, let’s just…

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