Category Archives: Film Reviews

Film reviews and analyses. Most recently published is in front.

San Francisco (1936)

Posted on June 7, 2021 by Mark DuPré

I had always thought of 1936’s San Francisco as the ultimate early studio disaster movie I hadn’t seen yet, with then-groundbreaking effects dominating the film. Actually, the amount of film covering the devastating 1906 earthquake is relatively small, but the … Continue reading →

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A Quiet Place Part II

Posted on May 29, 2021 by Mark DuPré

More than a year after its planned wide release, A Quiet Place Part II is finally here. It’s a solid, well-directed, and well-acted film. It reminds me a little of Alien followed by Aliens: thefirst was a deeply felt, intelligent … Continue reading →

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The Father

Posted on May 2, 2021 by Mark DuPré

I was wrong. Not having been able to see The Father in the theater until recently, I went with the current wisdom that the award for Best Actor would of course go to Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. … Continue reading →

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Dancing Lady (1933)

Posted on April 7, 2021 by Mark DuPré

For a film historian and even for just a film buff, there is almost too much going on in 1933’s Dancing Lady. It’s pre-Code, coming at the end of 1933, which already makes it worthy of special attention, i.e., what … Continue reading →

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Nomadland

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Mark DuPré

Nomadland is nearly guaranteed to win Best Picture in April, and will likely bring Chinese director Chloé Zhao the second of two consecutive Best Directors given to an Asian director, the first being Bong Joon-ho for last year’s groundbreaking Parasite. … Continue reading →

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News of the World and The Dig: Two slow films for a fast-paced culture

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Mark DuPré

I’ve seen a lot of films lately, but two have stuck out for their amazingly slow pace. One is the new(ish) Tom Hanks film, News of the World. The second is a new Netflix film starring Carey Mulligan and Ralph … Continue reading →

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One Night in Miami…

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Mark DuPré

One Might in Miami… is an extraordinary film. For one, it’s an accomplished work from a first-time director, Regina King, already in the history books for winning Best Supporting Actress for 2018’s If Beale Street Could Talk (https://film-prof.com/2019/01/20/if-beale-street-could-talk/). It has … Continue reading →

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Wonder Woman 1984

Posted on January 3, 2021 by Mark DuPré

Seeing Wonder Woman 1984 was both exhilarating and disappointing. It was our first movie “date” in nearly a year, and it was great to be back in a good theater with a large screen (I’d seen Tenet on my own … Continue reading →

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Mank and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Posted on December 21, 2020 by Mark DuPré

Mank Two films that are sure to be receiving multiple Oscar nominations have recently been released. They were originally supposed to be seen in theaters (remember theaters?), but have landed on Netflix instead. They couldn’t be more different, except for … Continue reading →

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Tombstone (1993)

Posted on December 12, 2020 by Mark DuPré

I was speaking with one of my sons the other day, and he made a Tombstone reference. I confessed that I hadn’t seen the film, and he humorously dropped his phone and generally expressed his horror and disappointment. The gauntlet … Continue reading →

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