There are times when telling a story simply and with as few frills as possible results in a film with the greatest dramatic impact. Such is the case with director Chris Weitz’s […]
Review: Operation Finale is Part History Lesson, Part Spy Thriller
Review: The Sting of Arizona Lands Between the Laughs
Although the horror-comedy Arizona is the first feature from Jonathan Watson, he has actually spent many years working second unit on films and TV series created by the likes of Danny McBride […]
Review: The Wife Weaves a Tangled Web, with Glenn Close at its Center
Based on the novel by Meg Wolitzer (adapted by Jane Anderson), The Wife is the story of a nearly 40-year marriage that is held together by the same things that threaten to […]
Review: Papillon Update Brings More Grit, Suffering and Strong Performances
I’ve never read either of the books written by Henri Charrière upon which Papillon is based, but I can tell you that the 1973 film is a perfect movie—a character study that […]
Review: An Unexpected Comedy Duo Makes Blue Iguana a Good Time
Although the setup to this British crime comedy is a bit of a stretch, the execution is often quite funny, and let’s face it: anytime you get a chance to see a […]
Review: Dark Family Dynamics Drive a Thrilling, Tense Custody
In 2013, writer/director Xavier Legrand made a short film called Just Before Losing Everything, about a woman attempting to extract herself and two children from what she felt was a deeply unhealthy […]
Review: Uninspired and Disappointing, The Happytime Murders Totally Misses the Mark
Just before the closing credits on director Brian Henson’s (son of the late Jim Henson, the Muppets creator) latest film The Happytime Murders begin to roll, a compilation of footage is shown […]
Giveaway: Advanced Screening of Armed, from Mario Van Peebles
One of the strongest and most consistently working black filmmakers for nearly 30 years has been Mario Van Peebles. His feature-film debut was 1991’s vital crime drama New Jack City, which he […]
Review: Coming of Age is a Swirling Fever Dream in Madeline’s Madeline
Teenage girls are having a moment on screen, from Elsie Fisher’s beautifully real turn as a middle schooler in Eighth Grade to Kiersey Clemmons as a college-bound musician in Hearts Beat Loud to Chloe […]
Review: Far From the Tree Explores the Struggles and Triumphs of Being Different
At first, it may be difficult to figure out what the common threads are in the various family stories being laid out in the new documentary Far From the Tree, based on […]
Review: Action and Friendship at the Heart of Alpha
Perhaps best looked at as a prehistoric twist on the “boy-and-his-dog” adventure story, Alpha is set 20,000 years ago (in the last Ice Age, according to the press notes) in an unknown […]
Review: Mile 22 Moves Fast, Sets Up a Sequel…And Not Much Else
Marking the fourth—and perhaps most bizarre—collaboration between actor Mark Wahlberg and director (and occasional actor) Peter Berg, Mile 22 seems like a standard-issue action piece, with Wahlberg’s CIA operative James Silva and […]
