You would expect nothing more than cringe when it comes to oddball actor Jesse Eisenberg’s directorial debut, and that is exactly what we get in “When You Finish Saving the World,” which plays like a mix of Nicole Holofcener and Todd Solondz.
Read more‘Plane’: Gerard Butler Action Movie Isn’t As Bad As You Think
We seem to be in throwback mode right now at the movies. Last week’s “M3GAN” was a deep dive into ’80s killer doll movies and this coming Friday sees the release of “Plane,” a throwback action movie recalling the days of Arnold and Stallone.
Read more‘Holy Spider’: Graphic Serial Killer Noir Works Better as Iranian Indictment [Review]
Set 21 years ago in Masshad, Iran, Ali Abassi’s “Holy Spider” shocked quite a few people at Cannes for its depiction of violence towards women.
Read more‘The Good Nurse’ is Fairly Gripping and Includes Another Strong Performance From Chastain [Review]
My expectations were fairly tamed down when I entered the Princess of Wales theater at TIFF for Tobias Lindholm’s “The Good Nurse,” and know what?
Read moreCharlotte Wells’ ‘Aftersun’ is the Best Debut of the Year [Capsule]
This Cannes Critics’ Week title had everybody talking on the Croisette. Debut filmmaker Charlotte Wells depicts the personal story of the melancholic and bittersweet resort holiday she took with her father (Paul Mescal) twenty years ago.
Read more‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ is the Best Film of 2022, So Far
We are only six days away from the best movie of 2022, so far, at least, being released in theaters.
Read more‘Till’: Danielle Deadwyler’s Grieving Performance Hits Where It Hurts [Review]
Chinonye Chukwu directs the hell out of the conventional screenplay she’s been given in “Till.” The movie wouldn’t have worked in many hands, but through her caring direction, and a landmark performance from Daniel Deadwyler, it does.
Read more‘Triangle of Sadness’: Ruben Ostlund’s Latest Provocation is the Best Comedy of the Year [Review]
Ruben Ostlund’s latest provocation, this year’s Palme d’Or winner, is absurdist satire done right. The writer-director yet again proves he’s a unique voice in cinema and one that is much-needed at the moment.
Read more‘Don’t Worry Darling’ is Not A Total Train Wreck
I’m telling you, if Olivia Wilde’s “Don’t Worry Darling” didn’t have all this behind-the-scenes baggage going against it then maybe critics would have been kinder to it. It’s not a terrible movie, nor is it a very good one either.
Read more‘Watcher’: An Impeccable Hitchcock For the #MeToo Era [Capsule]
Chloe Okuno‘s “Watcher,” which I raved about a few months ago when it premiered at Sundance, is getting released tomorrow.
Read more‘Paris, District 13’ Is All About Sex and More Sex [Review]
Jacques Audiard’s “Paris, 13th District” is a racy but oddly convoluted film for the celebrated French filmmaker.
Read more‘Navalny’: Astonishing Doc Uncovers Assassination Attempt of Russian Politician [Capsule]
Almost guaranteed to be a major Oscar contender in the Documentary category, Daniel Roher’s “Navalny” was a late addition to this past January’s all-virtual Sundance Film Festival.
Read more‘Don’t Look Up’ is Quite Bad; Toothless Satire
I don’t recall writing anything about Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up,” so here goes.
Read more‘France’: Bruno Dumont’s Nihilism Strikes Gold [Capsule]
Bruno Dumont’s darkly satirical ”France” received the first major boos of Cannes 2021. I dug it. A nihilistic portrayal of humanity through the eyes of a clinically depressed TV journalist. A Lynchian score by composer Christophe seems so out of place, but it only adds to the dramatic ambiguity of Dumont’s vision (his best since 2015’s “Li’l Quinquin”). The moral of this movie seems to be that life is shit. [B+]
‘Being the Ricardos’: Aaron Sorkin’s Bland Tackling of Lucille Ball [Review]
The reviews are in and “Being the Ricardos” is, quite frankly, getting terrible reviews. A 54 on Metacritic based on 21 reviews and a 50% rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Read more‘West Side Story’ Spielberg’s Remake Sticks With the Formula and Doesn’t Reinvent [Review]
By all accounts, “West Side Story” is beautifully photographed, excitingly well-acted and brilliantly directed by Steven Spielberg. So, why was I left so cold when the credits rolled? One must ask the obvious question: why remake Robert Wise’s masterful 1961 classic?
Read more‘Flee’: Overpraised Animated Documentary Tackles an Immigrant’s Journey From Afghanistan to Sweden
‘Nightmare Alley’: Guillermo del Toro’s Highly-Stylized Film Noir Lacks Realism and Substance [Review]
Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley” screened for press last night. This is not a crowd-pleaser by any stretch of the imagination.
Read more‘The Humans’: Overdirected Chamber Piece is All Style and No Substance [Review]
This stagey debut film from writer-director Stephen Karam, adapted from his Tony Award-winning play, explores the hidden secrets of a family and the love that keeps them intact.
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The short version: "Woman Unknown" was a compromise. The jury deadlocked over "Possible Love" and "NAZA," not able to com to terms, fell back on their #3, May el-Toukhy's film.