Review: A Powerful Performance from Mahershala Ali Is at the Center of Sci-Fi Swan Song
The thrill of watching Mahershala Ali in any role has only grown over the last couple of years, so the prospect of getting two of him in one movie is […]
Review: Spider-Man: No Way Home Is Just Nostalgic and New Enough to be a Great Addition to the Superhero’s Canon
In my comic book reading patterns, Spider-Man was always my guy. Not because of his cool powers or even the similarities in our ages when I was reading his adventures. […]
Review: Italian Auteur Paolo Sorrentino Goes Autobiographical for a Small but Mighty The Hand of God
Feeling like his most autobiographical outing to date, Academy Award-winning writer/director Paolo Sorrentino (Il Divo, The Great Beauty) brings us The Hand of God, the story of Fabietto Schisa (Filippo […]
Review: Sandra Bullock Goes Against Type in Gritty, Mostly Successful The Unforgivable
In a case of “so close you can sometimes see the better movie,” The Unforgivable tells the story of Ruth Slater (Sandra Bullock), who is released from prison after serving […]
Review: Fictional National Champions Asks Important Questions About a Real-Life Sports Debate
Not a bad week for J.K. Simmons. In addition to showing up as actor William Frawley (Fred, from “I Love Lucy”) in Being the Ricardos, he takes on an even […]
Review: Aaron Sorkin Goes Into the Writers Room, and Personal Lives of Lucy and Desi, in Being the Ricardos
Take a minute and think about the people in charge of a television show watched and adored by millions every week. They bring laughter and joy into people’s homes with […]
Review: Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story Is a Marvel, and a Marvelous Reason to Return to Movies
It’s evident fairly early on in Steven Spielberg’s exceptional re-imagining of West Side Story that this production is something special, something willing to be bolder, grittier and more self-aware than its […]
Review: Aiming for a Timely Satire, Comet Comedy Don’t Look Up Misses the Mark
Writer/director Adam McKay is a lot of things, but subtle isn’t one of them. Most of the time, he’s found ways to turn that to his advantage, with broader comedies […]
Review: Four People’s Lives Are Inextricably, Devastatingly Linked in Somber, Sweeping The Power of the Dog
Jane Campion hasn’t made a feature film since 2009’s exceptional Bright Star, an ethereal and heartbreaking tale of poet John Keats and the woman he loved in the final years of […]
Review: Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta Balances a Profound Spirit with an Entertaining Campiness
Is it possible for a film to be both deeply profound and startlingly campy at the same time? Paul Verhoeven appears to be on a quest to find out, as […]
Review: As Christmas Movies Go, Apocalyptic Silent Night Is Both Unexpected and Uninspiring
File this under: Unexpected Christmas Movies. Writer /director Camille Grifin’s first feature, Silent Night, begins as many holiday movies do—a group of old friends gathering at someone’s home to celebrate […]
Review: Riz Ahmed Is an Unstable Father in Encounter, a Tense and Tough Family Drama
Taking a break from playing musicians with health issues, in Encounter actor Riz Ahmed plays Malik Khan, a decorated Marine who embarks on a road trip with his two young […]