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Legacy Capsule

Midnight Run (1988)

A tightly plotted on-the-run road comedy that’s riotously fun and satisfying. De Niro plays the perfect rough-edged but lovable tough guy, and Grodin makes a brilliant foil. Brilliantly watchable and near-flawless.

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Legacy Capsule

Despicable Me (2010)

The Minions are excessively zany and the tone is quite wobbly, but disaster averted because Gru and his relationship with the girls are so charming.

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Legacy Capsule

Closer (2004)

Icy, sexy romantic drama as two men and two women constantly cheat and realign and scar each other. Not an uplifting watch, but it’s gloriously savage and bitter, with all the action in the dialogue (and the actual action offscreen).

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Legacy Podcast Rating Capsule

Christmas at Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1988)

It’s Chrsitmas!

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Legacy Capsule

Kicking and Screaming (1995)

Grant’s favorite movie. Definitely need to rewatch.

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Legacy Capsule

Toy Story 4 (2019)

A completely unnecessary fourth Toy Story that’s still miraculously good. Despite a “creation story,” the existential, almost religious tones of Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 are excised in favor of a clearer theme of parenting. Some parts grate and drag, but the animation is stunningly beautiful, and it has some surprising narrative punch.

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Review

The Great Train Robbery (1903)

As usual, the Americans got there after the Europeans, but did it with more scope and spectacle.

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Review

A Trip to the Moon (1902)

As I dive deeper and deeper into film history with The Goods and my expanded set of movie reviews, I’d like to more systematically expand my understanding and coverage of film history.

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Legacy Capsule

The Good Dinosaur (2015)

UNDERRATED!

Once you calibrate your expectations for a simplistic story with very broad strokes, it goes down so easy… Tremendous scenery and natural effects CGI contrasting with cartoony characters but good emotional beats.

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Capsule Legacy

Winnie the Pooh (2011)

Way better than I expected. Storybook-style hand animation, whimsical story, characters we love. Only like 20% of the characters feel anachronistic/annoyingly voiced. We need more kids movies like this.