Review: Brad Pitt at His Best in a Visually Stunning Ad Astra
It’s a helluva year to be Brad Pitt. He’ll go a couple years sometimes without making a movie, and then spring to life as he has this year with the […]
Review: Familiar Faces—and That Familiar Charm—Return in Downton Abbey
Editor’s Note: minor spoilers for the “Downton Abbey” television series follow, in order to relate the new film to the narrative’s larger arc. As difficult as it is to imagine […]
Review: A Chaotic Give Me Liberty Finds the Heart of the Matter
A sure sign of a film’s impact is finding oneself thinking back to scenes, moments or certain lines of dialogue long after seeing it. Such is the case with Kirill […]
Review: Writer and Pundit Molly Ivins Gets the Last Word in Raise Hell
From first-time feature director Janice Engel, Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins is that rare documentary that might have more of an impact on someone unfamiliar with […]
Review: Film Adaptation of The Goldfinch Loses Far Too Much in Translation
Oh, this one is shit. I don’t care how many Pulitzer Prizes the book (from author Donna Tartt) may have won or how critically acclaimed it is. This movie adaptation […]
Review: The Life and Music of Linda Ronstadt in Sound of My Voice
It was only four or five years ago that I rediscovered my childhood love of the music of Linda Ronstadt, fueled by the purchase of a couple CD volumes of […]
Review: Hustlers Makes Sexy, Smart Work of Scamming and Survival
In more films than I care to count, the role of stripper or exotic dancer is often relegated to the background of a scene that otherwise centers on men being […]
Dispatch: Year’s Most Anticipated Films Round out Toronto Film Festival
After six full days at a film festival where each day includes screening at least four films (and sometimes more), all the stories, characters and directing styles can start to […]
Review: Vital Early Childhood Ed Doc No Small Matter Returns to Siskel Center
Early on in No Small Matter, directed by Danny Alpert, Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel, audiences are introduced to Rachel Giannini, the lead teacher in Highland Park Community Nursery School and […]
Dispatch: Early Hits, Misses and Mehs at Toronto Film Festival
In just its first few days, the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival has presented dozens of films to thousands of eager audiences. Some (the movies, that is) have arrived to […]
Review: Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles Proves an Enlightening, Entertaining Chronicle of the Classic Musical
Late last year, the latest touring production of Fiddler on the Roof, a 2015 Broadway revival originally directed by Bartlett Sher that updated parts of the classic musical while maintaining its […]
Review: Morgan Spurlock Returns to Make You Rethink Fast Food in Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!
Some may say Michael Moore holds the title of the documentarian whose films most successfully blend politics and activism with humor and sheer entertainment value. But my vote for the […]