Review: Night Patrol Draws and Redraws Battle Lines in a Supernatural Gang Battle
This article was originally published as part of our 2025 Fantastic Fest dispatch coverage. Every once in a while, I’m reminded how fun it is to walk into a movie […]
Review: In a Career-Best Performance, Amanda Seyfried Stuns in The Testament of Ann Lee, an Epic of Grand Scale and Great Faith
I entered a screening of The Testament of Ann Lee much the way I enter most film screenings: knowing as little as possible. Sure, I knew Amanda Seyfried stars as […]
Review: The Voice of Hind Rajab Offers a Fast-Paced, Emotionally Riveting Recreation of a Harrowing Incident in Gaza
I’ve seen The Voice of Hind Rajab categorized by some as a documentary, which it absolutely is not. But I can see why some might react to it as if […]
Review: In Greenland 2: Migration, Gerard Butler and On-Screen Family Navigate Life After Apocalypse in Search of a New Home
Set five years after the original Greenland (2020), Greenland 2: Migration continues the story of the Garrity family and how they manage to survive a planet that was decimated by […]
Review: Chicago Symphony Orchestra Launches 2001: A Space Odyssey with Live Accompaniment
German conductor André de Ridder led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to accompany Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey on January 9 and 10. The film was projected on […]
Review: Father Mother Sister Brother Sees Jim Jarmusch Chronicling the Strained Family Relations We All Know Well
Jim Jarmusch is more than a filmmaker. Jim Jarmusch is a vibe. His films, from Broken Flowers to Paterson to Only Lovers Left Alive and now Mother Father Sister Brother, […]
Review: Ralph Fiennes Stars in The Choral, a Wartime Drama with a Message of Community and Resolve in Adversity
Ralph Fiennes is an actor who, when mentioned in a film’s top billing, all but assures I will see said film. His credits and accolades date back so far and […]
Review: Lucy Liu Is Captivating in Rosemead, a Heart-Wrenching Story of Family and Mental Health
Based on a true story (and a 2017 L.A. Times column about it), director Eric Lin’s debut feature (after years of being a cinematographer), Rosemead focuses on terminally ill widow […]
Review: Two College Friends Travel Together In Charming if Too-Cute Adaptation of People We Meet on Vacation
Based on the popular novel by Emily Henry and directed by Brett Haley (Hearts Beat Loud, All the Bright Places), People We Meet on Vacation may seem like a cookie-cutter […]
Review: Elie Wiesel: Soul On Fire Shows the Many Sides of a Man as Holocaust Survivor, Activist, Writer, Teacher, Father and Husband and More
There have been a fair number of documentaries over the years about Romanian-born storyteller, professor, activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, who died in 2016, but director Oren […]
Review: Bill Skarsgård Commands the Screen, and His Hostages, in Dead Man’s Wire
Although director Gus Van Sant hasn’t made a feature film since 2018’s strange but endearing Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot (he also directed six of the eight […]
2025 in Review: Best Narrative Films of the Year
2025 is finally over, so it’s time to reveal my Best Narrative Films of the Year list. As always, I was able to squeeze in a couple dozen additional films […]