Reviews
-
‘The Spy Behind Home Plate’ Film Review: Documentary Recounts Moe Berg’s Improbably True Life Story
Baseball, brilliance and espionage (but not sexuality) all surface as topics in Aviva Kempner’s fascinating biography
-
‘Our Time’ Film Review: Mexican Visionary Carlos Reygadas Explores the Limits of Fidelity
This latest masterpiece from the legendary filmmaker asks the hard questions about love and marriage and our fleeting existence
-
‘Being Frank’ Film Review: Jim Gaffigan Plays a Bigamist — But Is This a Comedy or a Drama?
Miranda Bailey’s directorial debut feels torn between a serious situation and a farcical script
-
‘The Raft’ Film Review: Compelling Doc Recounts Seagoing Social Experiment With Unexpected Results
Participants in an imaginative anthropologist’s perilous 1973 test of isolation and endurance recount their turbulent experiences
-
‘American Woman’ Film Review: Sienna Miller Digs Deep Into Shallow Story of Struggle
Miller and Christina Hendricks create rich characters in a woman’s story that could have benefitted from women writing and directing
-
‘Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes’ Film Review: Documentary Crams Ten Pounds of Jazz History Into a Five-Pound Sack
Legendary musicians, great producers, a storied legacy and a new generation of genius is just too much for one movie to cover
-
‘Plus One’ Film Review: Maya Erskine Shines in Wedding-Season Rom-Com
Single college pals brave a flurry of weddings as each other’s guests in this charming set-up, but it’s rising star Erskine you’ll be toasting
-
‘Hampstead’ Review: Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson Ignite Senior Sparks
An American widow and an Irish drifter cross paths in this lightweight but charming romance
-
‘Men in Black International’ Film Review: Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson Outcharm a By-the-Numbers Script
This franchise has decided that 2019 is when it should stop having something to say about immigration, but hey, it looks cool and it’s fun
-
‘Rolling Thunder Revue’ Film Review: Martin Scorsese Chronicles Bob Dylan’s Legendary Bicentennial Tour
Mixing documentary with recreation, Scorsese does his best to get to the truth about the ever-enigmatic musical legend
-
‘Funan’ Film Review: Bleakly Powerful Animated Film Captures Real-Life Historical Horror
Two parents try to survive, and to reunite their family, under the Khmer Rouge in this effective and hauntingly minimalist feature
-
‘Late Night’ Film Review: Mindy Kaling Spins a Love Story Between a Woman and Her Career
Kaling, Emma Thompson and director Nisha Ganatra create a witty tale about dreams coming true, even when they think you’re the “diversity hire”
-
‘Papi Chulo’ Film Review: Matt Bomer Stars in Misguided Cross-Cultural Bromance
Bomer and co-star Ernesto Patiño do fine work, but this is another white-perspective comedy about an interracial friendship
-
‘The Secret Life of Pets 2’ Film Review: Cartoon Offers Outdated Messages About Marriage, Manliness
Come for the adorable puppies, stay for the toxic masculinity and antediluvian notions regarding love and family
-
‘This One’s for the Ladies’ Film Review: Male Stripper Doc Has Plenty of Nudity But Not Much Meat on Its Bones
Director Gene Graham’s clumsily-filmed feature avoids making any real points about race, class or sexuality
