Film Review: “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Best reasons to see Scorsese’s new picture? De Niro, DiCaprio, and Gladstone

Ernest (Leonardo DiCaprio) shares a moment with his wife Mollie (Lily Gladstone).

Much has been made of the length of director Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which clocks in at three hours and 26 minutes. But give the guy some credit: his previous film, 2019’s much lauded The Irishman, ran three hours and 29 minutes. So he’s heard you, and has let you out of your seat a full three minutes earlier this time. What a guy! But seriously–while a few scenes do feel like they could be trimmed, others you’ll wish you could dwell in longer. For the most part, then, the run time becomes a non-issue. The story is so well told that you’ll remain fully engaged throughout the majority of this sobering but absorbing picture.

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Film Feature: Carrie and Chris Pick the 2019 Oscars

Film critics Carrie and Chris on who will – and who should – win the 91st Academy Awards

The 91st Academy Awards air this Sunday, February 24th, on ABC at 5:00 pm PST (with the requisite pre-show fashion assessments starting hours before). As they did last year, Spinning Platters film critics Carrie Kahn and Chris Piper share their predictions – and hopes – for the major categories.  Guild awards – often harbingers of Oscars to come – have been all over the map this year, so there may actually be some genuine surprises. Tune in on Sunday to see how things play out, and to find out if we correctly read the minds of Academy voters.

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Film Review: A Star is Born

Lady Gaga, not Cooper’s debut film, is the real Star here 

Mega star Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) and up-and-coming singer Ally (Lady Gaga) bond over songwriting.

What do the years 1937, 1954, and 1976 have in common with 2018? They, too, all had versions of the film A Star is Born playing in cinemas. Whether or not the movie-going public really needs a third remake of the 1937 original is up for debate (the ’54 and ’76 versions famously starred Judy Garland and Barbara Streisand, respectively), but actor Bradley Cooper apparently felt strongly that 2018 is the right moment for another try. He makes his writing and directing debut here, directing himself in a modern version of the classic story that, while showcasing the incredible talent of his co-star Lady Gaga, brings nothing fresh or extraordinary to the well-worn tale.

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