Andrew Lapin

Andrew Lapin appears in the following:

There can only be one pope in the delightfully preposterous 'Conclave'

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

The new movie Conclave is a fun and twisty political thriller. Ralph Fiennes plays a cardinal tasked to managing the secretive process in which the pope is replaced. The film offers plenty of scandals, surprises, and dark horses, along with some strong commentary on the state of the Catholic church. Directed by Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front), the film also stars Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini.

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'Zombi Child': When The Real Horror Is Colonialism

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Writer-director Bertrand Bonello uses the tale of a Haitian zombie to explore intergenerational racial trauma in this quiet, moody film.

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'Just Mercy': An Earnest, Effective Legal Drama

Thursday, December 26, 2019

This adaptation of attorney Bryan Stevenson's book about a wrongly condemned black man dramatizes that case while offering an unflinching look at the death penalty.

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'Uncut Gems,' Glittering Darkly

Thursday, December 12, 2019

The Safdie brothers' exhilarating film is a "gritty indie funhouse ride that sets [Adam] Sandler loose in a world just as manic and angry as his character."

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'Portrait Of A Lady On Fire,' Painted In Precise, Subdued Brushstrokes

Thursday, December 05, 2019

Two women — a noblewoman and the artist hired to paint her portrait — fall in love in Céline Sciamma's haunting, erotic and evocative period drama.

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New York's On Lockdown To Search For Cop-Killers In The Muddled '21 Bridges'

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Chadwick Boseman stars as a cop on the hunt for violent criminals in this "fitfully enjoyable if somewhat workmanlike action flick."

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'The Good Liar,' The Con Is A Pro — As Expected

Thursday, November 14, 2019

In Bill Condon's film set among London's septuagenarian set, Ian McKellan attempts to con Helen Mirren out of her fortune, but we're always one step ahead of the story.

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Christmas, Pleasant: 'Last Christmas' Gives You Its Heart

Thursday, November 07, 2019

Paul Feig directs Emilia Clarek, Henry Golding and Emma Thompson (who co-wrote the script) in a Yule-themed "fun, if shaggy, character study."

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Netflix's 'American Son' Adaptation Exposes The Play's Flaws

Thursday, October 31, 2019

The cast and director of the 2018 Broadway play reunite, but the performances prove more nuanced than the characters, revealing a script that takes "shortcuts to catharsis."

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A Powerful Tale Of Abuse Survivors Finding Their Voice 'By The Grace Of God'

Thursday, October 17, 2019

A director known for lurid psychodrama tackles a French priest-abuse scandal with sensitivity, restraint — and a robust sense of urgency.

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'Jexi' Is Siri-Ously Bad

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Adam DeVine plays a lonely nerd whose phone takes over his life in this lazy, generic satire.

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Yokels Attempt To Hide A Deadly Mistake In 'The Death Of Dick Long'

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Daniel Scheinert — half of the team behind 2016's Swiss Army Man — directs this sweet but "lumpy and formless" dark comedy.

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Clever Caper Comedy 'Hustlers' Makes It Rain

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Jennifer Lopez leads a troupe of strippers who bilk rich Wall Street clients out of huge amounts of money in a "boisterous, entertaining and self-aware" film based on a true story.

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In The Run-Up To War, A British Whistleblower Exposes 'Official Secrets'

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Director Gavin Hood's film about a leaked NSA memo becomes an ambitious indictment of the invasion of Iraq itself, though it's saddled with drab visuals of characters frowning at computer screens.

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'Give Me Liberty': A Brilliant, Transporting Film About A Medical Driver's Busy Day

Thursday, August 22, 2019

A young Russian-American (Chris Galust) drives a beat-up medical transport van full of demanding, quirky passengers through Milwaukee's backstreets in this funny, authentic film.

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'Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark' Puts The BOO! In Book Adaptation

Thursday, August 08, 2019

Alvin Schwartz's beloved children's books become an atmospheric, if repetitive, kid-friendly horror film.

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In The Wake Of Horrific Brutality, Revenge Served White-Hot: 'The Nightingale'

Thursday, August 01, 2019

Jennifer Kent follows up The Babadook with a controversial thriller that "grants its protagonist respect and dignity beyond mere victimhood, and frames her pain in both personal and political terms."

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A Lobotomist Struggles To Hang On In The Brilliant, Blistering 'The Mountain'

Thursday, July 25, 2019

In Rick Alverson's most coherent film to date, Jeff Goldblum plays a lobotomist at a time when the procedure is falling out of fashion.

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'Ray & Liz' Is A 'Melancholic And Unsparing' Portrait Of A Household At Society's Edge

Thursday, July 11, 2019

Richard Billingham documented his parents' neglect and abuse in previous documentary projects. His first narrative film captures their brutality even as it affords them some measure of dignity.

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'Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am': A Defiant Tour Of A Beloved Author's Life, Work

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders' discursive documentary features Morrison addressing the camera and dispensing earned wisdom and zingers by the bushel.

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