Neal Reviews | Movies

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Saying that Nine is “based on” Fellini’s 1963 masterpiece 8 1/2 is akin to saying that a painted reproduction of “Guernica” is “based on” Guernica.  It doesn’t quite do the trick, but

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If you’ve seen The Other Boleyn Girl, you’ve seen an enjoyable film about the British crown.  Once you see The Young Victoria, you will notice how much more can be said and

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French Roast A man sits down for his morning cup of coffee at a diner in France.  A beggar enters holding up a change cup and coughing up his lungs, then

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Films based on memoirs are a particular sub-genre in the Based on a True Story realm.  They are from a particular vantage point, seen in retrospect though the eyes of

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Stop-motion is not done as frequently as it should be.  This is one of the take-away lessons from Coraline.  It’s like Gumby on steroids.  Good stop-motion, like good CG or

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A return to classic Disney animation, talking animals, musical numbers with song and dance.  The Princess and the Frog is Disney’s first attempt in nearly a decade to tell an

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Stories are told and retold for a number of reasons, not the least of which is their ability to move and inspire.  True stories have a resonance which is somewhat

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Up in the Air takes its name, it seems, from a song of the same name (or perhaps vice versa).  The opening stanza is as follows: I’m up in the air, Choices

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