PERSON TO PERSON

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Writer/director Dustin Guy Defa creates a retro-modern gem of a New York City chamber piece with "Person To Person."

Part coming of age story, and part murder mystery, this delightful light comedy brims with thoughtful dialogue and memorable performances.

These characters don't need cell phones to communicate, or to figure the world out on their own terms.

Making mistakes is a normal part of life.

Tavi Gevinson all but steals the movie as Wendy, a young woman whose only two sexual experiences (with other girls), make her "not a virgin," and not necessarily a lesbian, considering that she has yet to experience sex with a boy, but yearns to share such intimacy.

Abbi Jacobson's Claire tries her hand at being a newspaper reporter under Michael Cera's Heavy Metal-loving editor Phil. The media is not your friend.

But the film's best-kept secret is Bene Coopersmith's underplayed portrayal of a Jazz-loving vinyl collector who gets into a fix over a rare Charlie Parker record while coming to terms with romance.

Hollywood doesn't do character-driven movies anymore, so it's especially heartwarming to see Dustin Guy Defa doing the heavy lifting.

Laughs abound.

Great script, great performances, great soundtrack, and great editing — you can find many angles of inspiration from this overlooked winner.

Settle in for a refreshing date night movie. You won't be disappointed.

Not Rated. 84 mins.

 

AMERICAN MURDERER

  Groupthink doesn't live here, critical thought does.

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Writer/director Matthew Gentile announces his presence as a capable filmmaker with a gritty true crime thriller that takes no prisoners.

If casting is everything then Gentile proves the theorem.

Tom Pelphrey confirms his status as an actor of substance, behind his impressive turn in "Ozark," as Jason Brown, a con man with a taste for robbery and murder.

"American Murderer" may not be the most inventive title for a movie that necessarily pulls up its stakes a denouement too soon, but it delivers the goods with efficiency and style.

For her part, Jacki Weaver tears a phone book in half as our freaky con man's disillusioned mother Jeanne. This phenomenal scenes blows the doors off the movie.

Great writing.

The ever stalwart Ryan Phillippe keeps the heat on high in his search for a culprit who's smarter than his actions tell.

Here is a workmanlike thriller to break out the popcorn for all your entertainment needs.

Hollywood should take notice, Matthew Gentile is a filmmaking force to be reckoned with.

Solid supporting performances from Idina Menzel, Paul Schneider, Moises Arias, and Kevin Corrigan put the icing on the cake.

Ta da.

Rated R. 102 mins.

RUSHMORE — THE CRITERION COLLECTION

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Groupthink doesn't live here, critical thought does.This ad-free website is dedicated to Agnès Varda and to Luis Buñuel.

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Before Wes Anderson became a pale imitation of himself, he made a splashy sophomore comedy with punch.

Anderson's attention to meta/micro details gets filtered through an up-tempo youthful comic tone that flies in the face of adult romance.

Jason Schwartzman is Max Fischer, Anderson''s hilarious spoof on Dustin Hoffman's character in "The Graduate."

Bill Murray does an early version of the Bill Murray he would become, while indulging in laugh-inducing slap-stick bits.

Precocious but not precious, "Rushmore" is heavy-hearted comedy with a light touch.

Here is an over-achiever's paradise.

Funny stuff.

Rated R. 93 mins.