Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat: Uneven narratives of 20th century geopolitics set to astonishingly good jazz
Johan Grimonprez's efforts to comb through mountains of historic footage, first-person accounts, and jazz pieces were no doubt heroic. If only his findings were crafted into a tighter, clearer narrative.
Black Bag: A short thriller that underwhelms despite Soderbergh’s big-name leads
Coming in at 94 minutes, Black Bag’s tight runtime prevents the plot from getting too deep, but also makes for a snappy thriller perfect for a weeknight watch. Just don't expect a payoff like Ocean's Eleven.
Mickey 17: Human-centered science fiction with distinctively Bong Joon-ho signatures
Bong's latest movie draws heavily on calling cards for the director, including rotund CGI creatures, futuristic survival in icy wastelands, and the rich-poor divide. And while it's his best English-language outing yet, it doesn't quite hit the highs of which he's capable.
I’m Still Here: An informative biopic that loses steam
I’m Still Here does a decent job of introducing a Latin American hero to U.S. audiences: Eunice Paiva, the Brazilian activist who protested the forced disappearance of her husband and former congressman Rubens Paiva in the 1970s.
The Brutalist: A visual and auditory masterpiece with seriously flawed thematic decisions
In writing two-dimensional supporting characters (especially women), and fumbling tougher themes such as artistic financing, sexual violence, and religious faith, Corbet misses important marks.
The tragicomedy of America’s urban underbelly in Anora, Sean Baker’s glossiest film yet
Baker has spent a career imbuing genuine, flawed humanity in characters from all walks of life. Anora is yet another notch in a celebrated belt for thoughtfully telling the stories of sex workers, but also offers an optimistically complex, humanizing take on all sorts of other tropes.
40 years of naysayers were right about Megalopolis, Coppola’s visually ugly and thematically inept magnum opus
For a movie this personal, its failure singularly lies in the hands of its director. However, it doesn't help that the leading actors are all in over their heads, including phoned-in performances that are neither camp or serious enough from a cast led by Adam Driver.
Dune: Part Two looks and sounds great, but its wooden characters leave much to be desired
In the hype around Dune: Part Two, director Denis Villeneuve's second installment of an epic three-part adaptation of Frank Herbert's eponymous 1965 novel, much has been said about Star Wars. Although it’s an apt comparison, Lucas’s original films are no match to this comparatively two-dimensional installment.
Problemista is mostly successful magical realism for the mundane challenges of life
It is no doubt that Torres not only has a great career ahead of him, but also seems like a genuinely kind soul excited to go deeper into film. Approaching a more focused project than Problemista next could help his dialogue shine and tackle themes more robustly.
Putting parental and spousal dynamics on gripping trial in Anatomy of a Fall
Throughout the film's twisting 150 minutes, Triet makes a powerful case for her well-deserved Best Director nod. Her singular vision is emphatically clear in each scene, and she skillfully employs settings and contexts to keep the picture as exciting as its script, particularly playing with ways to represent truth versus fiction.
In Kiss the Future, we find a U2 that’s much less corporate and crusty than today’s
With only the context of their auto-downloaded album and Sphere residency, I was pleasantly surprised by the more youthful, relatively revolutionary U2 in this new film, a thoughtful, serious piece of historical journalism on a largely forgotten war.
20 Days in Mariupol is a harrowing account of Ukrainian suffering at the hands of Russia
ears after the documentary was filmed, the war rages on, having killed tens of thousands of Ukrainians (including civilians) and displaced 10 million more. Yet American politicians still debate the validity of Russia's invasion or the need for international aid to Ukraine, making 20 Days in Mariupol a critical, grounding voice for what this war actually looks like.
The Holdovers is this year’s best film, full of exquisitely rich coming-of-age Northeastern hygge
A return to peak form for Payne, a terrific star turn introduction for Dominic Sessa, and a strong Oscar contender for hopefully every category, The Holdovers brings laughs and tears in equal measure, and is the perfect film to celebrate autumn and welcome winter.
Someone needs to learn to tell Martin Scorsese “no”
Exactly fifty years after his crime film Mean Streets debuted in 1973, with a dozen award-winning films under his belt, Martin Scorsese has come as close to perfect job security as artists get — for better and for worse.
Brief Tender Light offers a half-baked reflection on American higher education for international students
With this summer’s dual Supreme Court decisions in SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC, higher education is deserving of a critical artistic lens now more than ever. Brief Tender Light, focusing on African students at MIT, ventures an attempt at this lens but doesn’t succeed.
The Creator manages to Create a stunning world without much sense
In the challenging economic environment of Hollywood in 2023, The Creator sets a commendable model for how to be smart with a budget and avoid retreading the same IP. Movies looking to follow its footsteps just need to accomplish these feats with a better script and a more talented cast.