Disney gets into the ‘Elf’ game by making their own version, only with a fairy godmother instead of Will Ferrell. Jillian Bell stars as Eleanor, who visits the real world to earn her wings and help a little girl’s old wish come true. The only issue is that the little […]
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Sound of Metal
Riz Ahmed stars in a heartbreaking drama about a punk drummer who loses his hearing. At its core, it’s a fairly standard coming-to-grips flick, but Ahmed’s stellar performance turns it into something great, and writer-director Darius Marder and sound designer Nicolas Becker give us something wholly unique and well worth […]
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Mank
Director David Fincher (working from a script by his late father) paints a masterful portrait of the “Citizen Kane” screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, as Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried lead the way in what may be the most perfectly “old Hollywood” movie ever made. It’s brilliant on every level (cinematography, production […]
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The Croods: A New Age
Seven years after the cave-family traversed the wilds looking for a new home, they finally arrive—only to find it’s not at all what they hoped it would be. Peter Dinklage and Leslie Mann join the already-great voice cast (Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds) for a super-hectic, over-the-top, kid-friendly movie […]
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Happiest Season
’Tis the season for the good-ol’-fashioned dysfunctional family holiday flick. Mackenzie Davis stars the black sheep who heads home without telling the family that she’s a lesbian and that Kristen Stewart is more than just her roommate. Plenty of uncomfortable laughs and nutball characters populate a solid film that may […]
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Uncle Frank
Writer-director Alan Ball (“American Beauty”, “Six Feet Under”) offers up a powerful and emotional drama (with just enough splashes of comedy) about a closeted gay man (Paul Bettany) in the late 60s and his young niece (Sophia Lillis) who helps him come to grips with his sexuality. Outstanding performances all […]
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Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions
Taylor Swift gives us a track-by-track commentary and performance of all the tunes (plus a bonus!) on her latest—and arguably best—album “Folklore”. Like the toasty warm cardigan that figures prominently throughout, the film is a cozy and comfortable hug of top-notch songwriting from one of the best in the business […]
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Hillbilly Elegy
It’s hard to think of a recent movie that seems more concerned about award nominations than this Oscar-bait family drama set in the white-trash hills of Kentucky… but don’t be fooled. Amy Adams and Glenn Close are phenomenal, sure, but the movie itself is an overwrought mess that tries way, […]
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Belushi
This documentary about the (tragically-short) life of the comedy legend is heavy on nostalgia and reflections from friends and family (Dan Aykroyd, Lorne MIchaels, John’s brother Jim) but oddly light on displays of the funny man’s outstanding talents. Given the fact that a fair portion of the world is too […]
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Run
The latest from Aneesh Chaganty, the writer-director of 2018’s woefully underrated Searching, is an above-average thriller starring Sarah Paulson as the Munchausen-by-proxy mother of her paralyzed daughter. There’s nothing particularly new or inventive here, but the outstanding performances by Paulson and Keira Allen, along with Chaganty’s subtle direction, elevate it […]
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