Todd Haynes isn’t a director typically associated with the family film genre, but he does well with “Wonderstruck,” bringing the same eye for impeccable period detail that made films like “Carol” and “Far From Heaven” such sumptuous pleasures. “Wonderstruck” contains two separate storylines told through two distinct styles. The first is set in 1927, and […]
Movie Reviews
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Film review: ‘Murder on the Orient Express’
Director Kenneth Branagh attempts to reinvigorate the splashy, old-fashioned whodunit with “Murder on the Orient Express,” the latest adaptation of the classic Agatha Christie novel (Sidney Lumet’s 1974 version, starring Albert Finney, being the most famous). Branagh has crafted a lush, solidly made film, though it doesn’t otherwise do much to distinguish itself. While the […]
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Film review: ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’
Director Yorgos Lanthimos specializes in dark and demented tales that delight in dismantling the rules and norms serving as the basis for civilized society. His previous work and one of last year’s best films, “The Lobster,” upended and satirized the idea of romantic relationships. That story had Lanthimos’ trademark bleak outlook, but was balanced with […]
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Film review: ‘Thor: Ragnarok’
It has taken three movies to get here, but Marvel has fully embraced the transformation of Thor into a genuine comedy star. There’s always been a sly sense of humor to the studio’s stories centered around the Norse thunder god, even in Kenneth Branagh’s more operatic first outing. But with each subsequent installment, tongue was […]
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Film review: ‘Goodbye Christopher Robin’
Offering a glimpse into the creation of Winnie the Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood, “Goodbye Christopher Robin” aims to be a darker-than-expected look into the origins of a childhood classic. But the film doesn’t quite have the courage to see its objective through to the end. Suffering from PTSD after returning […]
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Film review: ‘The Florida Project’
Sean Baker’s latest film is a sometimes funny and often sad story set among the “hidden homeless” of Orlando, Florida, as seen through the eyes of a 6-year-old.
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Film review: ‘Breathe’
“Breathe” is a breezy period romance recounting the true story of plucky Brit Robin Cavendish, who at 28 was stricken with Polio, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down and unable to breathe on his
own.
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Film review: ‘Mark Felt’
As deputy associate director of the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover, career G-Man Mark Felt (Liam Neeson) always believed himself to be next in line for the top job. But after Hoover’s death, he was passed over and forced to remain on as second-in-command. Then, Nixon’s White House became embroiled in the Watergate scandal just […]
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Film review: ‘Professor Marston and the Wonder Women’
“Professor Marston and the Wonder Women” gives the Amazonian princess her second origin story of the year, this one focused on the life of her independent-minded creator
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Film review: ‘Marshall’
There are generally two types of biopics: those that attempt to condense the entire life of a notable figure into a single film, and those that pick one specific incident to build a narrative around. “Marshall” is the latter, tackling a single chapter in the life of legal pioneer Thurgood Marshall. The first African-American to […]
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Film review: ‘Faces Places’
The endlessly delightful documentary “Faces Places” follows the friendship and artistic collaboration between octogenarian filmmaker and French New Wave pioneer Agnès Varda and the 33-year-old muralist and photographer known as JR. The pint-sized Varda and the spindly, hipster-ish JR make for a striking pair, and their sweet chemistry and clear affection for one another lends […]
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Film review: ‘Blade Runner 2049’
Like its predecessor, the somber and stylish “Blade Runner 2049” emphasizes mood and atmosphere over
story, and it even manages to pack some legitimate emotion into its narrative.
