British comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon follow up “The Trip” and “The Trip to Italy” with a third installment of one of the strangest franchises currently going. “The Trip to Spain” finds the two men on (as the title suggests) an odyssey through Spain as they once again dine on mouth-watering food in some […]
Film review
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Film review: ‘Patti Cake$’
The irresistibly charming “Patti Cake$” follows the eponymous character — a white, plus-sized young woman from New Jersey — as she fights to make her dreams of hip-hop stardom come true. Like many underdog stories, the plot sticks to a tried and true formula, but it forges through any rough patches on the strength of […]
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Film review: ‘Ingrid Goes West’
We meet Ingrid (Aubrey Plaza), the rather unstable protagonist at the center of the cringe-inducing social media comedy “Ingrid Goes West,” at a particularly low point. Camped outside a lavish wedding she wasn’t invited to, Ingrid sits raccoon-eyed and sobbing, scrolling through the picture-perfect Instagram photos rolling in from the event. Finally she works up […]
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Film review: ‘The Only Living Boy in New York’
After the perfectly enjoyable melodrama “Gifted” earlier this year, director Marc Webb returns with “The Only Living Boy in New York,” a coming-of-age narrative that cobbles together its story from a collection of familiar elements and tropes, then renders them completely ineffective in the process. Following the lives of well-to-do Manhattan writers, artists, and various […]
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Film review: ‘Good Time’
It’s always fascinating to watch a performer’s career progress after they find stardom through a singularly iconic role. Both Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe have been able to transition into a career beyond “Harry Potter,” and post “Twilight,” Kristen Stewart has transformed into an unlikely critic’s darling with terrific performances in indie dramas from “Certain […]
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Film review: ‘Brigsby Bear’
Everyone has certain pop culture touchstones. There are pieces of ephemera from our formative years that stuck with us as we got older, molding and shaping our overall worldview. For James (played by Kyle Mooney), that touchstone is “Brigsby Bear,” an educational children’s fantasy TV show from the 1980’s. The show followed Brigsby, a magical […]
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Film review: ‘Step’
A welcome antidote to the horrors we’re witnessing in the news, Amanda Lipitz’s documentary, “Step,” is a spirited crowd-pleaser that will thankfully leave you feeling just a little bit better about the world. But before it lifts us up, “Step” sets the stage with some sobering scenes of turmoil, opening with footage of the protests […]
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Film review: ‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard’
Feeling very much like a throwback to action-comedies of the 1980’s and 90’s, “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” arrives in theaters as the last of the summer season’s big, mindless entertainments. The movie falls squarely in the long tradition of buddy flicks, pairing two characters who are polar opposites and forcing them to begrudgingly work together to […]
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Film review: ‘Staying Vertical’
A depressive’s version of a black comedy, “Staying Vertical” offers up a fascinatingly ambiguous story with enough shocking moments to make Director Alain Guiraudie’s last film, the sex-drenched thriller “Stranger by the Lake,” look tame by comparison. It’s the defiantly weird tale of Leo (Damien Bonnard), an aimless screenwriter scouting locations in rural France and […]
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Film review: ‘The Glass Castle’
Director Destin Daniel Cretton’s 2013 film, “Short Term 12,” was a sensitive story of troubled youth, told in a way that felt emotionally honest without ever pandering. He turned that tricky material into one of that year’s best films. One of “Short Term 12’s” key strengths was Brie Larson’s fantastic lead performance, and so it […]
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Film review: ‘Rumble’
Examining the considerable contributions made by Native Americans to America’s popular music, the documentary “Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World” is celebratory as it fills in missing chapters in the story of rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, blues, and soul. But it also doesn’t shy away from our country’s horrific legacy of discrimination against its […]
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Film review: ‘Lady Macbeth’
What starts off as a genteel period film, the chilling “Lady Macbeth” gradually reveals the irreparable rot at its core. Set in 1865 rural England, the film tells the story of 17-year-old Katherine (Florence Pugh), who as the story begins, has been sold into a loveless marriage to Alexander (Paul Hilton), a man more than […]
