“20th Century Women” Directed by Mike Mills Adolescent coming-of-age films are a dime a dozen…and usually revolve around sex…or having sex…or talking about sex…as if that’s the determining factor of when one comes of age. FAR fewer are the more … Continue reading “20th Century Women”
“Captain Fantastic” Directed by Matt Ross This is not the film you think it is. It is not a superhero film. It is not a kids’ film. And the reason it is being talked about so loudly is because of … Continue reading “Captain Fantastic”
“Sing” Directed by Garth Jennings & Christophe Lourdelet What a joy when an animated film gets it as right as Illumination Films, and directors Garth Jennings and Christophe Lourdelet do with “Sing”! It’s not nearly as thought provoking as “Up” … Continue reading “Sing”
“Toni Erdmann” (Germany) Directed by Maren Ade The current front-runner for the Best Foreign Language Oscar is…get ready…a German comedy that runs almost three hours in length. You don’t normally think of those two descriptors when comedy comes to mind. … Continue reading “Toni Erdmann”
“Moonlight” Directed by Barry Jenkins It’s not often you get to see a “first” in the cinema. The adage that “there’s nothing new under the sun” is, perhaps more prevalent in cinema than in any other medium. And, yet, along … Continue reading “Moonlight”
“Lion” Directed by Garth Davis I was not looking forward to seeing this film. In fact, the only reason I screened it was to complete my due-dilligence as a SAG Award voter. And, like “Hidden Figures”, my negative preconceived notion … Continue reading “Lion”
“Office Christmas Party” Directed by Josh Gordon, Will Speck Okay…short review here: “Office Christmas party” is far funnier than you think it will be, yet at least twenty minutes longer than it needs to be. If it had been … Continue reading “Office Christmas Party”
“Hidden Figures” Directed by Theodore Melfi It’s been a VERY long time since I was so pleasantly surprised by a Hollywood picture. The trailer promised a saccharin, paint-by-numbers, safe version of an incredible story. The actual film was so … Continue reading “Hidden Figures”
“Fences” Directed by Denzel Washington The effect of live theater is to take us to a place of intimate connection. Theater focuses our attention directly at the people on a stage, speaking words on a set which is, itself, merely … Continue reading “Fences”
“Jackie” Directed by Pablo Larrain Not a bad year for Mr. Larrain. His first feature of 2016, “Neruda” (which I reviewed here), was a brilliant historical cat-and-mouse thriller. Examining how the personal and political co-exist (or don’t), “Neruda” is meaningful, … Continue reading “Jackie”
The No Spoiler Critic 