‘FIRST MAN’ IS A QUIETLY PROFOUND DRAMA
First Man is not the movie I expected—it’s better. It combines a truly immersive approach to space travel with an intimate story that helps define and celebrate Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on...
View ArticleTHE GUILTY: A SLEEPER YOU SHOULD SEE
The Guilty is a clever, thoroughly engrossing film from Denmark that marks the directorial debut of Swedish-born Gustav Möller, who also co-wrote the screenplay. This marks his first effort since...
View ArticleBORDER: AS STRANGE AS IT GETS
This Swedish Oscar contender is one of the strangest films I have ever seen. Yet it grabbed me from the opening scene and never loosened its grip. Its protagonist is a notably unattractive woman who...
View ArticleMid90s IS REAL AND RAW
Mid90s is a raw, intimate look at kids in L.A. during the 1990s.The protagonist is a sweet, good-hearted kid (Sunny Suljic) who doesn’t get along with his big brother (a scowling Lucas Hedges) and...
View ArticleBOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
If hearing “We Will Rock You” or “Another One Bites the Dust” gets your juices flowing, this movie will likely do the same, in spite of its shortcomings. I never knew much about Freddie Mercury, but...
View ArticleGREEN BOOK: ONE OF THE YEAR’S BEST
Green Book is the kind of movie that leaves you with a feeling of elation. That doesn’t happen enough, and when it does, it is often accompanied by a heavy dose of sentiment. Not this time. This is...
View ArticleWIDOWS: REVENGE IS BITTERSWEET
Widows gets your attention right away with something that’s still rare and provocative: a passionate love scene filmed in close-up between an interracial couple, Viola Davis and Liam Neeson. It’s...
View Article‘ROMA’ UNLEASHES A FLOOD OF EMOTIONS
Roma is a stunning, often heartbreaking film, but it requires patience to realize where writer-director Alfonso Cuarón is taking us. If you surrender to him, as I did, you will be amply rewarded. It’s...
View ArticleTHE MULE: CLINT EASTWOOD STILL RULES
Two nonagenarians steal the show in Mary Poppins Returns, but The Mule is a horse of a different color, if you’ll pardon the pun. This is a star vehicle for an 88-year-old actor-director who still...
View ArticleIF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
James Baldwin was eloquent and poetic; he was also a complex and frustrated man who expressed his feelings in both essays and works of fiction. Impassioned filmmaker Barry Jenkins, who won an Oscar for...
View ArticleMARY POPPINS: GOOD BUT LESS THAN PRACTICALLY PERFECT
I wish the Disney company would stop remaking and rehashing the gems in its vast library. Do we really need a live-action version of The Lion King? Did anyone ask for a sequel to Mary Poppins, one of...
View ArticleVICE: HEIGHTENED REALITY FOR SATIRE’S SAKE
It isn’t difficult to recognize Vice as the work of the man who wrote and directed The Big Short, Adam McKay. This is McKay in dark-satire mode, a far cry from his collaborations with Will Ferrell. He...
View ArticleCAPERNAUM GOES STRAIGHT TO THE HEART
Small wonder that Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum won the Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and is now the official Oscar entry from Lebanon. We’ve seen stories about youngsters having to fend...
View ArticleDESTROYER: NICOLE KIDMAN GIVES HER ALL—FOR NAUGHT
I don’t know if Nicole Kidman would describe herself as a method actor, but her commitment to a role is nothing less than 100%. Destroyer is just the latest example, made notable by her physical...
View ArticleSTAN & OLLIE: A GIFT FOR MOVIE LOVERS
I love this movie! You might think I’m an easy mark as a lifelong fan of Laurel and Hardy, but in fact that makes me more demanding. I rarely find Hollywood biopics satisfying. Never did I dream I...
View ArticleNEVER LOOK AWAY
I don’t readily commit to watching a movie that runs more than three hours, but having admired The Lives of Others—a truly great film that won an Academy Award—I looked forward to Florian Henckel von...
View ArticleALITA: BATTLE ANGEL
A striking new female character is ready for action in a fantastic-looking movie. Based on a Japanese manga comic book, Alita: Battle Angel combines the talents of two tech-savvy filmmakers, James...
View ArticleAPOLLO 11: RELIVING A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EXPERIENCE
I was a teenager when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon in the summer of 1969 and, like millions of people around the world, I will never forget that moment. I can only guess how this film will play...
View ArticleJOSEPH PULITZER: THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
Joseph Pulitzer was a social reformer and a scandal-monger at the same time. That his name lives on as a synonym for excellence in journalism is a great tribute and, as we learn from this excellent...
View ArticleUS: JORDAN PEELE’S COMPLEX TAKE ON HORROR
Last year’s Get Out announced the arrival of an exciting and important new voice in American film: writer-director Jordan Peele. We already knew what a talented actor and comedic artist he was, but the...
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