Aaron Sorkin has always played fast-and-loose with truth in the name of good drama. Typically, this is a strength of his: The Social Network and Steve Jobs are both improved by ignoring fidelity in favor of modern tech-mythology.
Tag: Tom Hanks
Perhaps take my opinion with a grain of salt, as I have seen less than half of the Coens’ filmography and never seen the acclaimed 1955 original, but I found more to like than dislike in The Ladykillers.
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The Terminal (2004)
After reading several contemporary reviews of The Terminal I’m surprised that critics at the time did not note the single most distinct trait of the film:
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The Polar Express (2004)
It’s one thing to be ugly. Plenty of decent movies aren’t all that great to look at.
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Philadelphia (1993)
Philadelphia is pretty much the best-case scenario for an Oscar-bait film: A movie, beneath its preachiness, that is beautiful, lovingly-made, and deeply-felt.
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Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
Sleepless in Seattle somehow still works despite a fundamental flaw in its script: The characters spend almost no time together!
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The Bonfire of the Vanities (1987)
You’d be excused for watching the opening five minutes of this movie and wondering if you just stumbled into some sort of lost Brian De Palma masterpiece that was too gaudy for its time.
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Radio Flyer (1992)
Rose-tinted nostalgia shouldn’t be that difficult to nail: Find a non-horrible kid actor; pipe in a soundtrack of retro jams; spin some episodic coming-of-age shenanigans with a few “that wouldn’t fly today!” twists; and bring it home with a treacly voiceover about the “good ‘ol days.” Bam! Thumbs up!
A League of Their Own is pretty close to the best possible version of itself: It is well-cast and well-directed. The lines are impeccably delivered. The tone is a just-right blend of cynical, smart, and sweet. It’s a big meal of comfort food even if it never quite ascends into greatness.
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The Money Pit (1983)
There’s a 20-minute period towards the middle of the film where The Money Pit lives up to its slapstick potential, and it’s the hardest I’ve laughed in eons.