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The Quiet Girl
(2022)
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Martha K. Baker
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As in Keegan's novels, every word, every crystalline scene counts in The Quiet Girl. Each must be heard and seen with precision. When that cookie is set on the table in an insert shot, it is not just a cookie. It is a stealth symbol. It is everything.
Posted Mar 15, 2023
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Only in Theaters
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Only in Theaters elucidates the dire prospects for immensely rewarding, but financially unprofitable, exhibition of independent and foreign productions.
Posted Mar 02, 2023
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Pacifiction
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Scrutinizing De Roller’s interactions with Indigenous locals, wealthy power brokers, a Jehovah Witnesses minister, exploitive outsiders, and more, the multifaceted nature of this isolated community comes to vivid life.
Posted Feb 23, 2023
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One Fine Morning
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Thanks to Hansen-Løve’s honest, sensitive writing, this female-driven film brilliantly avoids stereotypical pitfalls that too often feel manufactured and predictable.
Posted Feb 23, 2023
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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
(2000)
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Diane Carson
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Crouching Tiger is feminist, erotic, and mythical, all at the same time.
Posted Feb 15, 2023
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To Leslie
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Casting is superb, with Allison Janney, Stephen Root, Andre Royo, and, exceptional in his role, Marc Maron as Sweeney.
Posted Feb 08, 2023
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Let It Be Morning
(2021)
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Diane Carson
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Shot in a straight-forward style that segues from restricted shots to more expansive ones, with complementary but unintrusive music, the skilled, delicately balanced satire rests on a goldmine of metaphors.
Posted Feb 08, 2023
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You People
(2023)
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Martha K. Baker
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You People doesn't work because it works too hard.
Posted Feb 03, 2023
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No Bears
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Panahi is a phenomenal talent, and I don’t use that word loosely. He is endless inventive with breadth and depth. He makes films that engage the intellect and the emotions, those rare gifts that the more I think about them, the more the layers peel back.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
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Saint Omer
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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An hour into this two hour film, I felt I had grasped the essentials, but the last hour includes some unexpected scenes that add introspective commentary.
Posted Jan 27, 2023
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All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Director Laura Poitras expertly interweaves that Sackler story into Nan Goldin’s commendable life as artist and activist.
Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Close
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Director Dhont presents the developing crisis with sensitive restraint, letting the emotional impact emerge from reaction shots and silences.
Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Matinee
(1993)
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Diane Carson
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Throughout Matinee, director Dante delivers this retro 60s world in a thoroughly entertaining, brisk 99 minutes.
Posted Jan 19, 2023
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Broker
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Throughout this kaleidoscopic story, Kore-eda presents an implicit commentary on bureaucracy and social ills, incorporating unpredictably humorous moments with a deft touch.
Posted Jan 12, 2023
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American Murderer
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Villains, especially fascinating con artists, often dominate a film’s dramatic focus. They’re the dynamic, mesmerizing characters with charisma, or how else would they succeed? ... These ideas govern writer/director Matthew Gentile’s American Murderer.
Posted Jan 12, 2023
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Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical
(2022)
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Martha K. Baker
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Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical thrives on color, song and dance, impressive acting, and cunning camera work.
Posted Jan 06, 2023
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EO
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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It is among the best films of the year.
Posted Jan 06, 2023
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Corsage
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Vicky Krieps triumphs in a stunning performance with complex physical and emotional registers, often within one scene. She animates every moment, verbally and nonverbally.
Posted Jan 05, 2023
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A Man Called Otto
(2022)
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Martha K. Baker
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If you saw the Swedish version, the American version repeats the sadness swirling with the hopeful. It's a story about loneliness versus community, neighbors, and the village it takes. And it's sweet and dear.
Posted Jan 05, 2023
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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever entertains but also disappoints, perhaps because we expect so much more.
Posted Dec 28, 2022
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Babylon
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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For me, this induces headaches.
Posted Dec 21, 2022
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Avatar: The Way of Water
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Avatar: The Way of Water rewards the long wait with an extravaganza of special effects cinematic spectacle.
Posted Dec 21, 2022
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The Novelist's Film
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Throughout this quite autobiographical deliberation, Hong assesses his own cinematic approach and defends it.
Posted Dec 21, 2022
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Lady Chatterley's Lover
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Told from Constance Reid’s point of view, the intense erotic awakening emerges forcefully thanks to Emma Corrin and Jack O’Connell as Oliver.
Posted Dec 21, 2022
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Pelosi in the House
(2022)
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Martha K. Baker
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Alexandra Pelosi's homage includes warming humor, but, most of all, it includes Nancy Pelosi's knowing voice and electric self.
Posted Dec 21, 2022
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The Woman King
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Films often elect spectacle or substance. To its credit, The Woman King offers both in a rousing tale of women warriors while mounting a devastating historical and cultural critique.
Posted Dec 21, 2022
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White Noise
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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As a reflective, self-absorbed Jack, Adam Driver again works his magic, charismatic and amusing because he doesn’t play for laughs. Greta Gerwig brings a solid appeal as the often perplexed and sympathetic Babette.
Posted Dec 09, 2022
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Empire of Light
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Olivia Colman’s brilliant performance threads its way through these moods with convincing nuances and shifts verbally and nonverbally.
Posted Dec 09, 2022
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The Inspection
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Throughout The Inspection, Jeremy Pope powerfully and convincingly inhabits Ellis French, his body posture and voice changing during his journey.
Posted Dec 02, 2022
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The Balcony Movie
(2021)
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Diane Carson
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Everyone bares so much in brief snippets, some charming, others contentious, almost all curious... These fascinating interviews prompt me to answer the same questions, more aware than ever of how much I define myself by my answers.
Posted Dec 02, 2022
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The Fabelmans
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Alas, I found it lackluster and shallow.
Posted Dec 02, 2022
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The Wonder
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Ari Wegner’s cinematography powerfully transported me to this world while also inviting reconsideration of certainty.
Posted Nov 25, 2022
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Bones and All
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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“Bones and All” poses cannibalism as a provocative metaphor for intrepid film fans.
Posted Nov 25, 2022
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Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
(2022)
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Martha K. Baker
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The rest is pretty darn funny -- and weird. What else did you expect?
Posted Nov 18, 2022
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Solomon King
(1974)
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Diane Carson
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There’s a wild final act, among other fast-moving scenes.
Posted Nov 11, 2022
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Decision to Leave
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Kim Ji-yong’s visually stunning cinematography renders the architecture of locations a palpable presence: cramped apartments and police offices, expansive landscapes, movement from the city to the sea.
Posted Nov 03, 2022
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The Banshees of Inisherin
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Writer McDonagh’s ear for pitch perfect dialogue (there’s a lot to quote here) kept me thoroughly amused through even some dark humorous patches. The Banshees of Inisherin is a moral fable with heart and a message.
Posted Nov 03, 2022
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Holy Spider
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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A thorough critique of dehumanization as well as of religious hypocrisy.
Posted Nov 03, 2022
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Voodoo Macbeth
(2021)
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Diane Carson
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Bash Achkar’s cinematography and Emma Bradford’s art direction provide effective compositions and art design.
Posted Nov 03, 2022
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Till
(2022)
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Martha K. Baker
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Till is a powerful movie. Its strength rises not just from the story of racism it tells, for the background story has been told often, and not just from its unique perspective, but also from its stunning presentation in film form.
Posted Oct 27, 2022
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Funny Pages
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Writer/director Owen Kline’s Funny Pages is a sly, clever film. Just when I thought I knew exactly where it set its sights, the story heads off in another direction, much to my delight.
Posted Oct 20, 2022
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Stars at Noon
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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I admire many of Claire Denis’ films, Beau Travail one of my all-time favorites, but Stars at Noon doesn’t live up to my expectations for such a fine director.
Posted Oct 20, 2022
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Armageddon Time
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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As Paul, Banks Repeta gives a beautifully nuanced performance.
Posted Oct 20, 2022
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The Good Nurse
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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The Good Nurse lingers in my thoughts and emotions with its indictment of the health-care business.
Posted Oct 20, 2022
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Tár
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Of utmost significance, while the film celebrates uplifting and even exciting music, it finds and excavates the fatal flaws in Lydia’s Tár’s celebrity, a powerful message for our time of worshipful veneration of influencers and luminaries.
Posted Oct 20, 2022
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The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
(2022)
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Martha K. Baker
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In addition to canny flashbacks and one flashside, Canosa juxtaposes the bookstore's cluttered, claustrophobic setting with Cape Cod's luxurious ocean views, shot by Alex Vendler.
Posted Oct 13, 2022
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What We Leave Behind
(2022)
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Martha K. Baker
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Filmmaker Iliana Sosa created a poignant portrait of one old man in What We Leave Behind. The old man is Sosa's grandfather.
Posted Oct 06, 2022
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God's Creatures
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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Unhurried, methodical, with time provided to contemplate the multiple crises, God’s Creatures invites thoughtful reflection.
Posted Oct 06, 2022
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Nothing Compares
(2022)
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Martha K. Baker
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What Nothing Compares proves is Sinéad O'Connor's courage and integrity.
Posted Oct 06, 2022
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Amsterdam
(2022)
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Diane Carson
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What recommends Amsterdam, despite its considerable problems, is its social critique of racism and anti-Semitism and its democratic message still relevant today.
Posted Oct 06, 2022
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