Rosamund Pike romps her way through a twisty-turny crime caper that not only will leave you roaring with laughter but also infuriated with the American healthcare and justice systems (if you weren’t already). It’s a sharp and incisive commentary, and Pike (working off a brilliant script by The Disappearance of […]
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Blithe Spirit
This slick re-telling of Noel Coward’s classic drawing-room comedy about a man haunted by the ghost of his late wife is a cute little bit of drole British humor. Wisely avoiding 100-mile-per-hour comedy, it instead relies on the sharp source material and pitch-perfect performances from a stellar cast (Dan Stevens, […]
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Nomadland
Frances McDormand anchors a phenomenal film about nomad life in the American West, starring as an unemployed widower content to live out of her van and drive state-to-state to find work. Though fictional, it feels like a year-in-the-life documentary about nomads, thanks to the outstanding direction of Chloe Zhao. The […]
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The Mauritanian
This enraging look at the heinously wrongful imprisonment and torture of Mohamedou Slahi in the aftermath of 9/11 is raw, gripping stuff. Jodie Foster, Shailene Woodley, and Benedict Cumberbatch all turn in top-notch performances, but Tahar Rahim’s earth-shaking turn as Slahi gives the film its fuel. It’s a brutal, difficult […]
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The Map of Tiny Perfect Things
The latest twee, young adult rom-dram goes the Groundhog Day route, and though it’s not particularly deep or insightful, it helps Freaky’s Kathryn Newton continue her hot streak—she plays (alongside relative newcomer Kyle Allen) one-half of a pair of pretty high schoolers who live their lives day after day after […]
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French Exit
Michelle Pfeiffer stars in this Azazel Jacobs film about a wealthy socialite who finds herself penniless and homeless—forced to squat in a friend’s Paris apartment alongside her early-20s son (Lucas Hedges). There’s a distinct Whit Stillman air to the goings-on (particularly the whimsical screenplay by Patrick DeWitt, based on his […]
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Minari
The story of a Korean family struggling to stay afloat on a makeshift Arkansas farm is a beautiful and touching bit of subdued and nuanced filmmaking. Writer-director Lee Isaac Chung has crafted a character-driven masterpiece with Steven Yeun and Han Ye-ri leading the way as the superbly well-drawn parents of […]
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Judas and the Black Messiah
Powerful work across the board elevates this film into the conversation of being among the best of the year. Daniel Kaluuya stars as assassinated Black Panther leader Fred Hampton, who was betrayed by FBI snitch Bill O’Neal (Lakeith Stanfield) in what was an important (though generally overlooked/forgotten) part of American […]
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Land
Robin Wright makes her feature directorial debut and stars in this largely one-woman show about a widower who takes to the wilderness to get away from civilization. It’s raw, emotional stuff, and Wright is excellent as usual. It’s her work as the director, though, that takes the film to a […]
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Breaking News in Yuba County
What starts out as in the vein of a Raising Arizona-style goofy, satirical crime caper winds up careening inexplicably into an oddly dark place and is (even worse) peppered with SMH plot holes and ridiculous ineptitude on both sides of the camera. Sure, the cast includes Allison Janney, Matthew Modine, […]
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