Based on the novel by Walter Dean Myers, Monster delves into the scary reality of a young Black man caught up in a murder trial, accused of being a part of a heinous […]
Review: A Young Black Man’s Life on Trial in Overly Polished but Moving Monster
Lisa Trifone
Review: Grief and Loss Drive the Fight Against Corruption and Injustice in The County
In Grímur Hákonarson’s The County, a woman confronts not only the unexpected death of her spouse but the corrupt company that holds a monopoly over the small family farm they’d managed together. During […]
Review: The Mitchells vs. The Machines Gets the Alchemy of Animated Family Films, Heart and Hilarity, Just Right
For as identifiable as some animation studios tend to make their films (Pixar’s refined CGI, Laika’s signature stop-motion, Disney’s doe-eyed princesses, etc.), Sony Pictures Animation has never quite settled on a brand […]
Review: About Endlessness Explores the Human Condition, the Passage of Time and How Little Any of It Matters
In an early scene of Roy Andersson’s About Endlessness, a couple sits on a bench in a park on a hill, overlooking the city below. We only see their backs; they, too, are […]
Review: Simple yet Profound, Gunda Artfully Chronicles an Unexpectedly Captivating Cycle of Life on a Norwegian Farm
It’s a complicated time for movie theaters, to say the least. As more and more Americans are vaccinated, cinemas are trying to figure out what films will draw audiences back into their […]
Review: Slalom Centers the Emotional Trauma of Sexual Assault in Elite Sports
Last year’s Athlete A is a harrowing and heartbreaking documentary about the extensive abuse committed by the team doctor for the USA National Gymnastics team. In searing detail, the film recounts how girls […]
Review: Eric Rohmer’s Four-Film Series Charts Both the Seasons and Ever-Engrossing Interpersonal Relationships
I regret to say I have not spent the last year getting into the best shape of my life or launching a new side-hustle or doing any other monumental work some have […]
Review: Oscar-Nominated The Man Who Sold His Skin Delivers Affecting, if Uneven, Political and Cultural Critiques
In many ways, Kaouther Ben Hania’s Oscar-nominated The Man Who Sold His Skin defies categorization. Set within a very recent timeline during which Syria’s war-torn cities purged millions of refugees into Europe […]
Review: Oscar-Nominated Shorts Glimpse Promising, Innovative and Informative Filmmaking
Though the Oscars ceremony celebrating films released in 2020 was pushed back to late April, 2021 due to the pandemic, everything else about the annual Academy Awards is much the same as […]
Review: A Comedy of Absurd, Dysfunctional Relationships, French Exit Features a Divine Michelle Pfeiffer
Based on Patrick DeWitt’s 2018 novel of the same name, French Exit (which he adapted for the screen) is a film that, in some ways, has no real right to exist. It’s dry […]
Review: A Suffocating, Chaotic, Awkward and Hilarious Shiva Baby Marks a New Filmmaker’s Impressive Debut
An expansion on the short film of the same name she made in 2018, Emma Seligman’s feature film debut, Shiva Baby, marks an exciting and promising (not to mention hilarious) entry into the […]
Review: Norwegian Disaster Drama The Tunnel Is Most Gripping in Its Darkest Moments
With the city on the brink of springtime (truly, it feels so close), a wintry disaster drama from Norway opens via virtual cinemas this week that makes our very snowy, very awful […]
