2filmcriticsAug 15, 20173 min readDunkirk ★★★ 1/2 The story of confusion, of the innate drive for survival, of the futility of every safe haven.
2filmcriticsMay 13, 20173 min readI Am Not Your Negro ★★★ 1/2 A stern rejoinder to those who believe Americans have achieved a post-racial society.
2filmcriticsApr 12, 20173 min readGet Out ★★★ 1/2Not since “Rosemary’s Baby” has Hollywood captured so powerfully the revulsion of being betrayed by those we trust.
2filmcriticsMar 9, 20173 min readThe Salesman ★★★1/2 Revenge is a Hollywood staple, but Iranian revenge is messier and less satisfying.
2filmcriticsFeb 24, 20172 min readHacksaw Ridge ★★1/2 Mel Gibson’s values are stamped on the story throughout. Male bonding is paramount. Women are loving but stoic.
2filmcriticsFeb 23, 20172 min readHidden Figures ★★★1/2 A superbly structured drama that vividly evokes a little-known aspect of the space race.
2filmcriticsFeb 21, 20172 min readFences ★★★Some people build fences to keep people out, and other people build fences to keep people in.
2filmcriticsFeb 9, 20173 min readElle ★★★A deeply unlikeable heronie, a classic untrustworthy narrator.
2filmcriticsFeb 4, 20172 min readLion ★★1/2 Saroo is suddenly thrust into the vastness that is India. a boy alone.
2filmcriticsJan 16, 20173 min readLa La Land ★★★1/2 Ends in a dark basement jazz club, a decidedly ambivalent setting that merges success, confinement and failure.
2filmcriticsJan 5, 20172 min readManchester by the Sea ★★★1/2 A subtle, ambiguous, and terse script avoids the kind of maudlin TV dialogue that often damages such films.
2filmcriticsJan 5, 20172 min readHell or High Water ★★★Robber brothers Tanner and Toby are neither evil enough to warrant being killed nor heroic enough to idolize.
2filmcriticsNov 7, 20162 min readFlorence Foster Jenkins ★★1/2 Florence believed she could sing opera — and had a Carnegie Hall career -- but could sing only very badly.
2filmcriticsSep 11, 20163 min readCaptain Fantastic ★★★Examines the fine line that separate a caring, committed parent from an over-controlling one.