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2 weeks ago | 
northernexpress.com | Joseph Beyer |Drew VanDrie |Anna Faller |Kierstin Gunsberg
5 Stars By Joseph Beyer | May 24, 2025 In an ocean of mediocre and repetitive summer blockbusters, the new independent film The Surfer swims alone as an original and unexpected cinematic experience. I loved it. For fans of the enigmatic and sometimes deranged performances of actor Nicolas Cage, it provides another leading man that won’t soon be forgotten, and one of the more interesting characters he’s portrayed on screen.
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4 weeks ago | 
northernexpress.com | Joseph Beyer |Matt Dursum |Abby McKiernan |Ross Boissoneau
4 Stars By Joseph Beyer | May 10, 2025 With a notable asterisk in the title, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has expanded this summer with the long-anticipated release of Thunderbolts*, the 36th film in the MCU, and for those passionate enough to keep following along, the final installment of Phase 5 of the ongoing narrative series that leads to a showdown between the “new” and the “old” Avengers.
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1 month ago | 
northernexpress.com | Joseph Beyer |Abby McKiernan |Matt Dursum |Art Bukowski
5 Stars By Joseph Beyer | April 26, 2025 Writer and director Ryan Coogler is one of the more unlikely success stories there has ever been in film. And with his latest genuinely epic opus Sinners, he has, at age 38, already conquered the box office while staying wonderfully true to his unique style and voice.
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1 month ago | 
northernexpress.com | Joseph Beyer |Art Bukowski |Molly Cox |Ren Brabenec
5 Stars By Joseph Beyer | April 12, 2025 As a former Angeleno who once spent lazy afternoons at Dodger Stadium watching the groundskeepers (in a time when you could still walk in on game days and sit in the stands with the sports reporters), I was immediately drawn to the new three-part documentary series Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series, now streaming on AppleTV+.
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2 months ago | 
northernexpress.com | Joseph Beyer |Todd VanSickle |Abby McKiernan |Art Bukowski
2 Stars By Joseph Beyer | March 22, 2025 With a $320 million budget (the largest single content investment in Netflix history); the multi-hyphenated creative duo Joe and Anthony Russo behind it, alumni of directing four Marvel Cinematic Universe hits; a storyline with ROBOTS ROBOTS ROBOTS, and a cast with more stars than the Milky Way…what could go wrong?
It turns out, a lot.
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Mar 8, 2025 | 
northernexpress.com | Joseph Beyer |Anna Faller |Rachel Pasche |Art Bukowski
5 Stars By Joseph Beyer | March 8, 2025 While the glitter and shine from the 97th annual Academy Awards is still hanging in the air, and with geopolitical unrest all around us, allow me to button up this awards season with one last recommendation before the curtain falls (on the film industry and/or America respectively).
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Feb 22, 2025 | 
northernexpress.com | Joseph Beyer |Victor Skinner |Anna Faller |Molly Cox
5 Stars By Joseph Beyer | Feb. 22, 2025 There is something to be said for not knowing anything in advance about the fascinating new documentary Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, which knocked me out with its fresh and creative riffs and the depth of 20th-century history it brought back to life.
Using found footage, newsreels, and existing materials, the film is woven together beautifully into a fusion by the writers Johan Grimonprez and Daan Milius.
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Feb 15, 2025 | 
northernexpress.com | Joseph Beyer |Art Bukowski |Karl Klockars |Geri Dietze
4 Stars By Joseph Beyer | Feb. 15, 2025 With an elongated running time of 3 hours and 35 minutes (which doesn’t even include the mandated 15 minute theatrical intermission), director Brady Corbet’s epic drama The Brutalist is not for the faint of heart or time.
Should you decide, after 10 recent Academy Award nominations, that it’s finally time to see it on the big screen, I hope you feel it was worth it.
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Jan 25, 2025 | 
northernexpress.com | Joseph Beyer |Art Bukowski |Greg Tasker |Anna Faller
5 Stars By Joseph Beyer | Jan. 25, 2025 You might be forgiven if, like me, you were suspicious about another independent film directed by yet another director with the last name Coppola. Of course there’s the patriarch Francis Ford (The Godfather), then his daughter Sofia (Lost in Translation), then his son producer Roman (The French Dispatch), and now most recently his granddaughter Gia.
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Nov 30, 2024 | 
newsdirectory3.com | Joseph Beyer
Gladiator II ReviewRating: 3 StarsAuthor: Joseph Beyer | Nov. 30, 2024Ridley Scott is a prolific director with 60 films, including the Oscar-winning Gladiator. The original film, featuring Russell Crowe as Maximus, captivated audiences and became a cultural sensation. Gladiator II debuts with high expectations. It has a sizable budget of $250 million and an aggressive marketing push of $100 million. However, the question remains: is it entertaining?
