Recent Reviews
These are our latest reviews of movies at theaters, at the art house, or at festivals.
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.
The High Note
*1/22020, Nisha Ganatra
All the personality was sucked out in favor of something perfectly suited for the Hallmark Channel.
The High Note is off key and out of tune.
The Vast of Night
***2020, Andrew Patterson
What sets it apart and makes it special is how the simple story is told.
The Vast of Night is a filmmaking treat from a trio of new talent.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
**2019, J.J. Abrams
In Episode IX, the Skywalker saga ends with a disappointing whimper.
Editor’s Note: The author of this review first saw Episode IX while on an adventure of his own. It was opening day. It was in IMAX. But it was also in Gurugram, India. Bollywood. Amidst politically charged riots, simply getting to the theatre was an adventure in itself. That’s a story for another time, but that’s why his thoughts on Episode IX are only now being shared. Beware: the following contains spoilers.