BLACK PANTHER SEIZES THE MOMENT
Marvel’s Black Panther is, culturally and commercially, the right film at the right time. The significance of bringing a black superhero to the screen at this moment cannot be overstated. Nor can the...
View Article‘EARLY MAN’ ACHIEVES ITS GOAL
I’ve been a sucker for Nick Park’s animated work since I first laid eyes on his Oscar-winning short Creature Comforts more than twenty years ago. (Little did I know that I’d already seen some of his...
View ArticleREDISCOVERING THE FIRST EPIC WESTERN
Before John Ford’s The Iron Horse, before William S. Hart’s Tumbleweeds or Raoul Walsh’s The Big Trail there was The Covered Wagon in 1923. It was a bona fide blockbuster, in terms of its budget and...
View ArticleRED SPARROW
Jennifer Lawrence scores points for taking on challenging parts instead of coasting on star-power, as she easily could. But does that mean we have to watch her being abused and subjected to unrelenting...
View ArticleTHE DEATH OF STALIN: GENIUS AT WORK
I consider writer-director Armando Iannucci to be a comic genius. The creator of Veep cut his teeth in British TV comedy working with Steve Coogan on his Alan Partridge character, then created a series...
View ArticleTHE MIXED BLESSINGS OF ‘A WRINKLE IN TIME’
I wouldn’t presume to guess how a 12-year-old will respond to this film, especially if that girl or boy hasn’t read Madeleine L’Engle’s beloved book. I can only express my feelings, which are decidedly...
View ArticleALL HAIL ‘KING OF JAZZ’ FROM CRITERION
If you’re wondering why there are shouts of jubilation from film buffs and aficionados of pre-swing-era music it’s because the Criterion Collection has released a beautiful Blu-ray and DVD of King of...
View Article‘ISLE OF DOGS’ OFFERS REWARDS—AND REGRETS
It may be the height of redundancy to call a Wes Anderson film eccentric, but that’s the word that comes to mind as I ponder his newest creation, Isle of Dogs. Like The Fantastic Mr. Fox, it is...
View Article‘READY PLAYER ONE’ ALMOST WINS
I am not a gamer, but I had no trouble immersing myself in the hyperkinetic world of Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One and had a good time watching it—for a while. I don’t share the same degree of...
View ArticleCHAPPAQUIDDICK: HISTORY MADE HUMAN
Even if you aren’t old enough to remember the sensational incident that inspired this movie, Chappaquiddick offers a fascinating portrait of a man burdened by a family curse: Edward “Ted” Kennedy. The...
View ArticleA QUIET PLACE: WHERE SOUND BRINGS TERROR
I don’t enjoy horror films for the most part but I was glued to the screen for A Quiet Place, a truly scary movie that’s artfully executed. John Krasinski directed, co-wrote the script, and stars in...
View ArticleTHE RIDER: A SLEEPER YOU SHOULDN’T MISS
Simplicity is not in vogue among today’s filmmakers, but The Rider is so consistently good that it has wowed critics and audiences on the film festival circuit. It has also accumulated an impressive...
View ArticleI FEEL PRETTY: GOOD INTENTIONS DON’T PAY OFF
Amy Schumer is so likable in the early stages of this fable that I found myself actively rooting for the movie. I wanted it to be good, as poignant and believable as its leading character. Alas, I Feel...
View Article‘AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR’ OFFERS ONE SURPRISE AFTER ANOTHER
Watching the latest, most ambitious entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is an overpowering experience….especially if you have a deep emotional connection to any of the characters. I enjoy most of...
View ArticleLOVE & BANANAS: FOOD FOR THE SOUL
Love & Bananas is a modest but captivating documentary about the sorry fate of elephants in Southeast Asia. It dodges the hazard that plagues many cinematic labors of love. Too often the director’s...
View ArticleDEADPOOL 2: NOT MY IDEA OF FUN
Nearly everything about the original Deadpool was fresh and funny, from the opening credits to the parody of Marvel movie finales. I’m not a fan of self-referential films but this one had so much...
View ArticleGOING ‘SOLO’ AND STRIKING GOLD
If you’re going to introduce a prequel to the Star Wars saga in a different way than anyone has tried before you’d better deliver the goods. Despite its well-documented production problems, Solo: A...
View Article‘AMERICAN ANIMALS’ IS A KNOCKOUT
American Animals is a totally absorbing heist movie that just happens to be true–although director Bart Layton is cagey about just how true. He opens in the present day, interviewing the real-life...
View ArticleJURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM—MORE OF THE SAME
Dinosaurs are dangerous and people are greedy. Got that? It’s the foundation of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and if that mantra sounds way too familiar (and obvious), it’s the answer to why this film...
View ArticleWON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? A RESOUNDING ‘YES!’
It shouldn’t be difficult to make a sweet movie about Fred Rogers, the gentle host of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood on PBS. But Morgan Neville doesn’t make superficial documentaries, as evidenced by Twenty...
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