Peg Aloi

Film Review: “Talk to Me” — Hand of Glory

July 30, 2023
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Despite the lack of background or explanation for the occult item at the center of “Talk to Me,” I found it relatively easy to suspend my disbelief and become caught up in the story’s momentum.

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Film Review: “Barbie” — Existential Crisis in Pink

July 25, 2023
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Director Greta Gerwig’s hard-edged but affectionate paean to Barbie is sweeter than it is satirical, slightly more perky than political.

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Film Review: “The Lesson” — The Tutor, the Writer, His Wife, and Her Son

July 8, 2023
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“The Lesson” is well-crafted, infused with nervy suspense and an almost Gothic sense of unease.

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Film Review: “Blue Jean” — The Color of Truth

June 17, 2023
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This incisive drama set during the height of Thatcherism doesn’t need to amplify its relevance.

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Film Preview: The Salem Horror Fest 2023 — A Preview

April 20, 2023
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This year’s version of the iconic festival features a number of premieres, some restorations, and some screenings of well-loved cult classics, as well as a number of special guests.

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Film Review: “The Lost King” — Richard the III, Rebranded

April 10, 2023
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The Lost King contains perhaps too many calculated moments of sentimental synchronicity. Still, it manages to soar, thanks to the excellent performance of its lead, Sally Hawkins.

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Film Review: “Wildflower” Is Tender, But a Bit Too Tame

March 23, 2023
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In terms of genre, I would describe Wildflower as a sort of Hallmark Channel-style drama, a quirky but heartwarming tale of a scrappy girl who overcomes the odds to help her family stay together.

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WATCH CLOSELY: Spring Cleaning

March 20, 2023
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A bit of spring cleaning this time around, with recommendations of some fairly recent viewing choices you may have missed.

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Sundance Film Festival 2023 Dispatch #2: Retreating

January 31, 2023
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My second crop of Sundance screenings features three films that are all about women who, on some level, retreat from certain aspects of their lives: their pasts, their trauma, their public persona.

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Sundance Film Festival 2023 Dispatch #1 — Girls Just Wanna

January 28, 2023
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The three films I selected to start my 2023 Sundance journey were very different from one another, but they shared one common theme: girlhood.

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