HOSEA: Moving Update of an Old (Testament) Story
“Hosea” is a brief Old Testament book in which God shocks both his readers and his prophet by ordering him to marry a sexually...
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JOSEPH W. SMITH III
Christ, Culture & Creativity
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changsmith2
- Dec 24, 2020
- 2 min
JINGLE JANGLE: A colorful and joyous new holiday classic
Right around this time of year, folks start daydreaming about their favorite holiday movies, even posting mini-quizzes on social media to...
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changsmith2
- Dec 24, 2020
- 2 min
OVER THE MOON: Keen Keane's first feature
I began following Glen Keane in the 1990s, when my family enjoyed his children’s books involving the wayward but likable Adam Raccoon. I...
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changsmith2
- Dec 24, 2020
- 2 min
LET HIM GO: Best New Movie This Year!
It’s a rare film that offers equal doses of excitement and food for thought; one that provides both subtle nuance and visceral action;...
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changsmith2
- Nov 6, 2020
- 2 min
ABE: Healing division with food, fusion and ... stranger things
* * * (out of four) I sit down to write this review on the eve of the most divisive election I can recall. So it’s fitting that “Abe” --...
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changsmith2
- Nov 6, 2020
- 2 min
HONEST THIEF: Another good-not-great caper for Neeson
* * 1/2 (out of four) You might think Liam Neeson was tired of saying things like, “I’m coming for you.” But apparently, he isn’t; and I...
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changsmith2
- Nov 6, 2020
- 2 min
THE WAR WITH GRANDPA: Welcome back to the movies
* * 1/2 (out of four) After a few previews that preceded “The War with Grandpa,” Williamsport’s AMC theater ran a full-screen shot saying...
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changsmith2
- Nov 6, 2020
- 2 min
THE GREY FOX: Charming Western chestnut gets a handsome reboot
* * * * (out of four) The 1983 sleeper “The Grey Fox” has long been unavailable in all its peerless beauty, because it was never released...
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changsmith2
- Nov 6, 2020
- 2 min
THE ARTIST'S WIFE: Messy -- but countercultural
* * 1/2 (out of four) The script for “The Artist’s Wife” constitutes what might charitably be called a “hot mess”; yet the film is worth...
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changsmith2
- Nov 6, 2020
- 3 min
TENET: Fasten your seatbelt
* * * (out of four) After seeing “Tenet,” I suspect maybe writer-director Christopher Nolan was irritated that so many viewers guessed...
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changsmith2
- Nov 6, 2020
- 2 min
Crowe gets UNHINGED
* * * (out of four) “Unhinged” is a competent, scary and absorbing thriller -- but it may not be the movie this country needs right now....
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changsmith2
- Nov 6, 2020
- 2 min
MADE IN ITALY: Neeson in Tuscany
* * * (out of four) In 2009, Liam Neeson lost his wife, actress Natasha Richardson, after a terrible skiing accident. A member of the...
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changsmith2
- Nov 6, 2020
- 2 min
THE CUBAN: Good Jazz & acting; not much else
* * 1/2 (out of four) It’s hard to fault a film that has its heart so squarely in the right place. I’m speaking of “The Cuban,” an...
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changsmith2
- Aug 25, 2020
- 4 min
10 FILMS PROMOTING RACIAL HARMONY
Lycoming Critic’s Corner, June 2020 (for ON THE PULSE website) One reason Lycoming Critic’s Corner loves movies is their power to heal:...
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changsmith2
- Aug 25, 2020
- 2 min
A BEAUTIFUL MOVIE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
* * * * (out of four) The cool thing about the new movie about Mr. Rogers is … it isn’t really about Mr. Rogers. And that would be just...
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changsmith2
- Aug 25, 2020
- 2 min
"1917" RANKS WITH THE GREATEST OF WAR MOVIES
* * * * (out of four) In making “1917,” Sam Mendes deprived himself of a tool relied on by virtually every director in history:...
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changsmith2
- Aug 25, 2020
- 2 min
"STANDING UP, FALLING DOWN": Crystal's best work in this painful, funny sleeper
* * * 1/2 (out of four) If you’re a fan of Billy Crystal, you really ought to see “Standing Up, Falling Down.” Directorial debut for...
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changsmith2
- Aug 25, 2020
- 2 min
YESTERDAY: Imagine there's no Beatles
* * * (out of four) I’m not a huge fan of screenwriter Richard Curtis, as I didn’t care for the loose sexuality in “Love, Actually” or...
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changsmith2
- Aug 25, 2020
- 2 min
LOST GIRLS: Netflix original scores with strong performances and a solid message
* * * (out of four) If you watch the terrific new Netflix thriller “Lost Girls,” it’s important to remember that the film is based on an...
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changsmith2
- Aug 25, 2020
- 3 min
DA 5 BLOODS: Lee leaps back into the fray
* * * (out of four) Over the last two decades, it seemed as though Spike Lee was losing his momentum. After bursting onto the cinematic...
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