Behind The Curtain

Concise Reviews for Movie Addicts Who Don't Have Time to Waste

Take a Peek Behind the Curtain

Occasional reviews, reflections, and rants about movies good, bad, and ugly

Recent Reviews

Still of John Savage and David Morse in ‘Inside Moves’ (1980)

Inside Moves (1980)

John Savage and David Morse in a buddy movie that skirts the line between sentimentality and melodrama

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Still of Liv Ullmann and Bibi Andersson in ‘Persona’ (1960)

Persona (1966)

Despite enthralling performances by Liv Ullmann and Bibi Andersson, this classic is only for cinema aficionados

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Featured Posts

Still of Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Judy Garland, and Jack Haley in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939)

Off to See the Wizard – Again, and Again and …

Why did a childhood enchantment became an adult obsession?

A Reflection
Still of George Peppard in ‘How the West Was Won’

The Moment I Fell in Love with Movies

‘How the West Was Won’ sparked a life-long obsession

A Reflection

More Reviews

Still of Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton in ‘Twister’ (1996)

Twister (1996)

From its soundtrack to its over-the-top tornado encounters, Twister promises you a good time … and delivers

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Still of John Ashton, Eddie Murphy, and Judge Reinhold in ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ (2023)

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

Eddie Murphy does his ad-libbing best to animate ‘Axel F,’ but only the soundtrack reminds us of past magic

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Still of Morena Baccarin and Pierce Brosnan in ‘Fast Charlie’ (2023)

Fast Charlie (2023)

Pierce Brosnan in a tense revenge tale with Elmore Leonard-esque dialog, plus a touching nod to James Caan

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Still of Hyun Bin and Yoo Ji-tae in ‘The Swindlers’ (2017)

The Swindlers (2017)

Who’s scamming whom? You’ll have to pay careful attention to discover who is the real swindler

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Still of Anne Hathaway and Mark Ruffalo in ‘Dark Waters’ (2023)

Dark Waters (2019)

Mark Ruffalo shines as ‘the lawyer who became DuPont’s worst nightmare’

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Still of Adria Arjona and Glen Powell in ‘Hit Man’ (2023)

Hit Man (2023)

Glen Powell is effortlessly funny as the unassuming prof who reinvents himself

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Still of Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby in ‘Napolean’ (2023)

Napoleon (2023)

Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby are adrift in a meandering narrative that leaves us as uninformed as we began

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Still of Daniel Diemer and Skeet Ulrich in ‘Supercell’ (2023)

Supercell (2023)

A surprising glimpse into the psychology, and obsession, of storm chasers

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Still of Youn Yuh-jung, Kim Kang-woo, and Kim Hyo-jin in ‘The Taste of Money (2012)’

The Taste of Money (2012)

Will Kim Kang-woo come to embrace his master’s contempt for money? Or will he cash in?

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Still of Yoo Tae-oh, Greta Lee, and John Magaro in ‘Past Lives’

Past Lives (2023)

Celine Song’s absorbing rumination on ‘what might have been’ versus ‘what is’ versus ‘what will be’

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Still of Annette Bening and Jodie Foster in ‘Nyad’ (2023)

Nyad (2023)

Annette Bening and Jodie Foster demonstrate it’s not about the destination but the journey

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Still of Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth in ‘Pokerface’ (2022)

Poker Face (2022)

A mess of a movie that’s almost worth watching to appreciate how bad it really is

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