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FilmWeek: Our Reviews Of ‘The High Note,’ ‘The Vast of Night,’ ‘The Infiltrators’ And More
Sierra McCormick and Jacob Horowitz in "The Vast of Night." (Amazon Studios)
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Every week, Larry Mantle, who also hosts our newsroom's longtime public affairs show AirTalk, and KPCC film critics spend an hour talking about new films.
This week, Claudia Puig, Amy Nicholson and Peter Rainer join Larry to review this weekend’s new movie releases and share some of their recommendations:
“The High Note”
- Available on VOD and digital (iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Vudu, DirecTV On Demand, Spectrum On Demand and more)
Here’s what Claudia had to say:
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“This is an enchanting and escapist summer movie, and we could use some escape right about now. But it also has something to say about the male-driven world of pop music...it says something about women with ambition and what it’s like to be in the pop music world and to be a woman, but it’s also light and entertaining and it’s got a bit of a fairy tale quality to it, in the best way.”
“The Vast of Night”
Available on Amazon Prime Video
Peter says:
“You would think that with all of the cliches that are ever-present with UFO movies and the desert that this movie would just sort of be generic, but it’s remarkably sharp and funny and ominous and it’s a terrific debut. I mean, the director, Andrew Patterson, really is at full control of what looks to be a budget of about $28. It has such a fascinating mixture of tones -- scary, funny, ominous, weird, goofy -- all of these things mesh in ways that seem very organic."
“The Infiltrators”
- Available on FandangoNow
Amy’s review:
“I think it’s so smart how the directors made this film exist. It’s documentary right up until the minute that these kids go inside, and from then on it’s very clear that this is an actor reenacting what happens. What really strikes you here is just how bright and media savvy these young Dreamers are...you just see that these kids have so much potential to really be great leaders in this country, and many of them can’t even go to college, so they’re using their energy here, directing it in this way, and it’s really spectacular that they’re doing that."
- “On the Record” on HBO Max
- “The Grey Fox” (4K restoration of 1982 film) on Laemmle’s Virtual Cinema and The Frida Virtual Cinema
- “Papicha” on Laemmle’s Virtual Cinema
- “And Then We Danced” on VOD & digital (iTunes, Amazon Prime, Google Play & Vudu)
- “I’m No Longer Here” on Netflix
- “I Will Make You Mine” on VOD & digital (iTunes, Amazon Prime, Google Play Vudu, YouTube, & Vimeo OnDemand)
ABOUT OUR CRITICS:
- Claudia Puig is also president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association; she tweets @ClaudiaPuig
- Peter Rainer is also film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor
- Amy Nicholson is also film writer for The Guardian and host of the podcasts ‘Unspooled’ and the podcast miniseries “Zoom”; she tweets @TheAmyNicholson
WANT MORE PICKS?
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