Lisa Trifone
Review: The Tobacconist Can’t Decide What Kind of Film To Be, Falls Short at Both
As premises go, The Tobacconist has an interesting one: a young man moves to Vienna to apprentice in a tobacco shop, only to become friendly with one of the store’s […]
Review: The Women of Relic Drive a Moody, Brooding Thriller
What haunts in Relic, the debut feature film written and directed by Natalie Erika James, is something sinister, but also something essentially unseen and, therefore, all the more terrifying. A horror […]
Review: A Lifetime of Civil Rights Activism Explored in John Lewis: Good Trouble
As the country engages in an urgent and necessary conversation on racism and inequity, it’s tempting to think of much of the history of this particular issue as just that, […]
Review: Filmed Hamilton Brings Larger-Than-Life Broadway Phenomenon to Your Living Room
In March of 2015, I moved back to Chicago from New York. That was right about the time a new musical production about an (until then) obscure founding father was […]
Review: House Music and Friendship at the Center of Pulsating Beats
If you check out Beats this weekend, the latest from Scottish filmmaker Brian Welsh (from a play by Kieran Hurley, who co-wrote the script), it will help greatly if you’re […]
Review: A Girl Discovers Her Voice in Moving, Thoughtful House of Hummingbird
The American film landscape isn’t lacking for coming of age films, particularly those of the female teenage experience. Bora Kim’s lyrical debut feature film House of Hummingbird explores similar themes […]
Review: A Nature Photographer Swims with Polar Bears in Picture of His Life
There is a wildlife photography enthusiast out there somewhere who will find Picture of His Life—a slight new documentary probably better off as an episode in some nature-centric television series—worth their […]
Review: A Teacher’s Timeless Influence on Generations of Actors in Creating a Character: The Moni Yakim Legacy
When I first moved to New York City a few years ago, I splurged on a tiny studio apartment in Manhattan, 160 square feet (not counting the bathroom and closet) […]
Review: Miss Juneteenth Soars as a Tale of Finding Oneself, Finding a Way Forward
If the first two thirds of Miss Juneteenth, the beautifully realized debut feature film from writer/director Channing Godfrey Peoples, feel a bit quiet and underdeveloped, please do yourself the favor of […]
Review: Words, Family and Grief at the Center of Charming Sometimes Always Never
On the shortlist of actors who I’ll watch in pretty much anything, Bill Nighy is near the top. Effortlessly charming and dryly funny, he consistently brings a warmth and wit […]
Review: Centered by a Riveting Performance, Shirley Plays Like an Experiment in Human Interactions
Elisabeth Moss is the rare actress who has made remarkable work in both television (“Mad Men,” “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Top of the Lake”) and film (Her Smell, Us, The Invisible […]
Review: Unflinching, Necessary On the Record Centers Stories that Demand to be Heard
It’s been a daunting week. While the country limps through a grim Coronavirus milestone, there’s news of another incident of white police killing a black man and a racist confrontation […]