Demonic possession is an intoxicant in the scary Talk to Me, an updated twist on the supernatural thriller and one that finds a group of youths taking the notion of a Ouija board to creepy new extremes. The first feature by Australian YouTube stars…
Read MoreSparkling Satire Barbie an Inventive Showcase for Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling—and Great Fun

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the movie year—or two of them—is that Greta Gerwig’s much-anticipated Barbie has become a runaway cultural moment in a way a movie hasn’t landed in the zeitgeist in perhaps years, and that—delightfully—it’s actually good (and frequently very good). In a picture…
Read MoreChristopher Nolan’s A-bomb opus Oppenheimer is a dense, often accomplished and sometimes portentous character study that both intrigues and alienates in its study of the birth of the Atomic Age and mastermind physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer’s (Cillian Murphy) WWII-era race to complete the world’s first…
Read MoreIn a summer marked by stale spectacles—a Flash in the pan, Transformers flying under the radar and even the crack of Indiana Jones’ bullwhip failing to generate excitement—the extravagant escapism of Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One makes for the summer’s best movie and the only…
Read MoreThe ill-conceived Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny disappoints as a lackluster return for the renowned archaeologist and adventurer. Despite the enduring star power of Harrison Ford, this tired installment fails to generate the same level of excitement that defined its predecessors, devoid…
Read MoreIn Striking Blue Jean, A Closeted Teacher in 80s’ Britain Runs “Don’t Say Gay” Gauntlet

Georgia Oakley’s absorbing debut feature Blue Jean is perfectly timed in its story of a closeted lesbian school teacher navigating intricate webs of personal and professional turmoil within the constricting confines of conservative 1980s society. Set against the backdrop of Thatcher-era Britain, where anti-gay legislation casts…
Read MorePast Lives, and Loves, Collide in Poignant Sundance Gem of Romantic and Personal Destinies

Can true love overcome the stark differences between the stages of our lives and the roles we assume, or is it destined to remain a moment in time as our futures progress? Does the relentless pursuit of such all-consuming love hold any true significance,…
Read MoreSebastian Maniscalco, currently America’s most popular comedian, amiably approximates himself in the new comedy About My Father opposite a game Robert DeNiro as a movie version of his real-life dad, Salvo Maniscalco. Co-written by the comedian-actor and directed by Laura Terruso, the picture is…
Read MoreA Horticulturist with a Past Seeks Redemption in Paul Schrader’s Low Key Master Gardener

At 76, Paul Schrader remains the most consistently intriguing American screenwriter working today and perhaps of the last half-century. A standard bearer of the galvanic 70s Hollywood renaissance, his contributions to American film history are lionized and legendary. In the past decade, the filmmaker’s…
Read MoreFriendship, Love and Fate in the Eternal City—Book Club: The Next Chapter a Sweet and Funny Follow-up

Book Club: The Next Chapter, the follow-up to the popular 2018 romantic comedy that defied ageist Hollywood marketing logic to become a $100 million moneymaker, is a fizzy, funny and frequently wistful comedy featuring a movie royalty quartet looking great and having fun in…
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