Recent Reviews
These are our latest reviews of movies at theaters, at the art house, or at festivals.
The Last Vermeer
***1/22020, Dan Friedkin
Even 75 years after its conclusion, World War II is still fertile ground for fresh cautionary tales.
The Last Vermeer has the kind of twists and nuances only history can provide.
Sound of Metal
**1/22020, Darius Marber
Watching Sound of Metal is a frustrating experience. Part of it is by design.
Sound of Metal features a strong idea, but its storytelling sensibilities are muffled.
Let Him Go
**1/22020, Thomas Bezucha
It’s something along the lines of Louis L’Amour meets Blumhouse.
As with most split personality movies, Let Him Go doesn’t quite work.
Liam Neeson almost manages to make an honest movie out of Honest Thief.
Julie Taymor turns Gloria Steinem’s life story into a moving work of art.
Kajillionaire
*1/22020, Miranda July
The quirkiness of the Dyne family never develops into something of purpose.
Whatever it is — a comedy, a satire or a drama — Kajillionaire quickly goes bankrupt.
Antebellum
**2020, Gerard Bush, and Christopher Renz
The problem is, the characters, their backstories, their current stories — they don’t add up.
Antebellum is noble in its intentions, but clumsy in its execution.
Tenet
****2020, Christopher Nolan
Tenet is truly the perfect movie to jumpstart the reopening of movie theatres around the world.
Typical of Christopher Nolan’s best, Tenet offers more than can be absorbed in a single viewing.
Fatima
***1/22020, Marco Pontecorvo
It’s a thought-provoking experience that tactfully pokes at the events from a number of angles.
On the surface, Fatima is based on an actual event, the Miracle of the Sun. But the impact of the movie runs much deeper as it examines faith, hope and so many human frailties.
The New Mutants
**1/2Josh Boone
The journey doesn’t end with an overwhelming desire to see this band of characters again.
The New Mutants takes the superhero genre into some new territory, but the journey isn’t as terrifying or inspiring as it should be.
Driven to Abstraction
***2020
An outlandish cocktail of pigments and dollars started to ferment and sour in this artworld scandal.
It’s a dazzling treasure trove involving 40 works of art valued at $60 million. But it’s all a fraud laid bare in this outlandish artworld scandal, a cocktail of pigments and dollars that slowly started to ferment and then gradually soured.
It’s a timely movie that comes out swinging, but Cut Throat City doesn’t balance the rage with logic and a strong enough through line to redemption.
The Burnt Orange Heresy
***2020, Giuseppe Capotondi
The final 10 minutes get to the dizzy heights of manipulation and counter-manipulation.
The Burnt Orange Heresy fills the canvas with some interesting ideas, but the picture is muddled by uneven brushstrokes and a discordant color palette.
Radioactive
***1/22020, Marjane Satrapi
Director Marjane Satrapi merges her artistic sensibilities with history while forging a new path.
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.
Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
Marie Curie
Irresistible
**1/22020, Jon Stewart
There’s a desire to see Jon Stewart cut loose and turn things upside-down.
The last 10 minutes almost make Irresistible a winner. Almost.