"They Shall Not Grow Old" is a documentary made up entirely of 100-year-old Imperial War Museum footage, much of which we may already have seen in scores of WWI documentaries over the years. But oh, what a difference.
KIRO Radio film critic Tom Tangney provides a peek at his votes for the Critics Choice Awards ahead of the big event Jan. 13, 2019 in LA. Which films stood out over the past year?
After a year of watching movies, KIRO Radio's Tom Tangney has painstakingly compiled his list of the top 10 films of 2018, though there technically 13 films on this list, because he cheated.
"Mary Poppins Returns" is a dutiful sequel with passable songs but what it lacks is the irresistible sense of fun that Julie Andrews and the Sherman Brothers' songs brought to the one and only "Mary Poppins."
Telling the story of little-known country singer Blaze Foley, writer/director Ethan Hawke gives us an intriguing look at a would-be star that never quite made it.
"The House with a Clock in its Walls" is funny, scary, and interesting if you're 10 years old. That's the level it plays at. Adult audiences are not considered in this PG movie.
"Peppermint"'s real problem is that the non-stop violence is so relentless and unimaginative. Many violent films can be cinematically exciting - see Tarantino, Peckinpah, etc. - but not this one.
"Crazy Rich Asians" may be a generic romantic comedy, but it's one that becomes a guilty pleasure. It will have you routing for this couple to make it through to the end.
It's clear in every frame of 'Blackkklansman' that Spike Lee is furious with the current state of affairs and making that even more explicit seems like overkill. But I take his point.
"Christopher Robin" is a fantastic family film. A live-action Disney movie starring Winnie the Pooh characters, it manages to capture the delicate tone and mood of the original A.A. Milne stories while creating an entirely new storyline.
'Mamma Mia 2' senses the original used up all the good Abba songs and tries to make up for it with over-the top productions of the two big hits that didn't make the first film's storyline.
Everyone delivers a perfectly polished characterization in "The Seagull," but no one seems to be working as an ensemble. That disconnect may even be part of Anton Chekhov's point, but it robs the movie of a unifying power.
