Review: A Young Black Man’s Life on Trial in Overly Polished but Moving Monster
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 […]
Review: Guy Ritchie’s Wrath of Man Delivers Brutal, Explosive Action with Mainstay Jason Statham in the Driver’s Seat
It’s not that I don’t understand some people’s knee-jerk negative reactions to the films of Guy Ritchie, but I remain a fan of his crime dramas—from Lock, Stock and Two […]
Review: Sean Penn Is Willing to Get Uncomfortable, Use His Celebrity for Good in Citizen Penn
There are probably things that actor/director Sean Penn regrets doing in his life. His affiliations with the likes of former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and Mexican drug lord Joaquín Archivaldo […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
Review: The Outside Story Makes a Bad Day Likable with Charming Cast, Relatable Relationships and Everyday Moments
Not every heartbreak comedy has to be wacky and over the top. Sometimes, it’s okay to play it low key and focus on character. Taking on a rare lead role, […]
Review: A Crowded, Muddled Separation Frustratingly Buries its Potential for Scares
In William Brent Bell’s Separation, there’s a Brooklyn couple who fights constantly in front of their 8-year-old daughter Jenny (Violet McGraw). One day, when Jenny is hurt playing in the attic while […]
Review: Aptly Titled Limbo Follows a Syrian Refugee Eager to Find Home and Begin Life Again
In Limbo, Omar (Amir El-Masry) is an oud player (it’s a stringed instrument; look it up) born in Syria and currently living on a remote Scottish island where he waits […]
Review: An Assassin, A Man-Hunt and a Glimpse of Anthony Hopkins’ Greatness in Otherwise Middling The Virtuoso
This is an odd, although not entirely unpleasant, one. Anson Mount plays a professional assassin known only as The Virtuoso (in the credits, at least; I don’t think he’s ever […]
Review: Four Good Days Sees Mother, Daughter Navigate Addiction, Trauma and the Rough Road to Recovery
There could easily be a sub-genre in the field of the dramatic arts devoted exclusively to stories about drug addiction. In recent years, especially in the era of an opioid […]
Review: Haunted House Drama Things Heard and Seen Barely Manages a Scare, Any Real Drama
Things Heard and Seen, based on the novel by Elizabeth Brundage, All Things Cease to Appear, is the latest work from the writing/directing team of Shari Springer Berman and Robert […]