Todd Haynes’ “Wonderstruck” — Missed It By That Much
OCTOBER 25, 2017 Boy, I wish I liked this film better than I do. Stories that are told decades apart from one another can sometimes work (spectacularly well, in…
Art House Review
Reviews of independent cinema
“The Florida Project” Focuses on American Families Whose Stories Are Simply Never Dramatized by Hollywood
OCTOBER 17, 2017 This is a tough one. I saw this film at a screening in Palm Springs, and in an audience of supposed cineastes, I saw people walking…
Forget the Teen Heartthrob of “Twilight,” Because in “Good Time” Robert Pattinson Delivers a Stunning Performance
SEPTEMBER 5, 2017 I knew very little about Robert Pattinson during his star-making period in the “Twilight” series. I know that I’m a bad critic because I skipped all…
“The Trip to Spain” Will Make You Laugh As Well As Very, Very Hungry
AUGUST 28, 2017 I’m back after over a week of vacationing in (mostly) a non-internet part of the Pacific Northwest woods to celebrate my mother-in-law’s 97th (!!!!!) birthday. For…
Bong Joon Ho’s “Okja” — One of the Best Films of the Summer is Now Playing in a Living Room Near You (If You Have Netflix)
JULY 18, 2017 I can say without fear of contradiction that “Okja” is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. “Okja” is all at once a comedy, a scathing satire,…
Sofia Coppola Turns “The Beguiled” on Its Head, and the Result is One Impressive Film
JULY 17, 2017 I gotta say, I love movie trailers from 1970s. This is how Universal in 1971 sold director Don Siegel’s first film version of “The Beguiled,” based…
This Valentine to Sam Elliott in “The Hero” is Wonderful, Though the Movie That Surrounds It Is Not
JULY 12, 2017 “Lone Star Barbecue Sauce: the perfect partner for your chicken” is the first line we hear in “The Hero,” and we hear it over and over…
“Paris Can Wait” — A Travelogue That’s as Empty as Any Summer Blockbuster
JUNE 26, 2017 With enormous fanfare, the summer movie season spectacularly limped out of the gate seven weeks ago with a series of bombs that were met with critical…
“Beatriz at Dinner” — Powerful Portions, But a Misguided Ending
JUNE 19, 2017 Movie-wise, it’s been a tough summer not only at the blockbuster box-office, but also in art houses across the country. Well-reviewed specialized films can sometimes be…
“Their Finest” — Propaganda Moviemaking Has Never Been More Fun, But At What Cost?
MAY 15, 2017 It’s called “The Slop.” That’s not a judgment on Lone Sherfig’s entertaining new movie “Their Finest,” but it is instead a pivotal plot point in her…
