Gloves-On Storytelling in ’64 Day Hero’
“Despite its storytelling flaws and omissions, ’64 Day Hero’ is a must-watch for the boxing documentary completist.”
The Volume: The Final Stage
“The old silver screens have reached their limit, and even 4K will become passé. Perhaps it’s time for Hollywood and theater chains to up the ante by investing in venues and screens similar to the Volume.”
‘Once Upon a Time in Calcutta’: A Melancholy Tribute to a Disappearing City
“‘Once Upon a Time in Calcutta’ speaks to West Bengal’s eroding cultural and artistic history in the face of modernization, due to greed and a capitalist attitude of advancement at all costs.”
Mariama Diallo’s ‘Master’ Calls Out the Horrors of Racism
“‘Master’ certainly won’t be collecting an Academy Award for Best Screenplay, let alone a nomination. Even so, the film is worth a look.”
Amy Poehler’s ‘Lucy and Desi’ Looks at the Love and Work of Hollywood Icons
“Poehler makes certain to strike a steady and careful balance between Ball and Arnaz in ‘Lucy and Desi,’ allowing them to share the spotlight in a meaningful way far more satisfying than any loose-with-the-facts biopic fictionalization.”
Recovery, Survival and Extinction: Abel Ferrara’s Exile Cycle
“Few artists have dreamt more boldly and defiantly in their exile than Ferrara; he has faced up to the dark towers of commerce and coercion, the systemic violence that is rationalized and sanctioned to peak efficiency by the prevailing conditions.”
Rory Kennedy’s Lacerating ‘Downfall: The Case Against Boeing’ Speaks Truth to Power and Profit
“‘Downfall’ accomplishes Kennedy’s principal goal: it shines a bright light into a dark place.”
‘Hatching’: Hanna Bergholm’s Fledgling Feature Takes Flight
“Hanna Bergholm’s feature debut ‘Hatching’ is a satisfying creature-feature delight.”
The World Is Cold: Fallen Idols and False Prophets in Post-Crash America
“The year 2012 was the first in which cinema could adequately assess the material and psychological toll of the crash. The box office tells its own story: audiences were looking for saviors…”
He’s Not Even from ‘Round Here: ‘Hot Fuzz’ at 15
“‘Hot Fuzz’ has remained a key part of the zeitgeist thanks to its specificity, but also because the movie celebrates doing the right thing, working together and being a good person above all else.”
‘Coach to Vienna’ and the Muddied Waters of History
“The power of ‘Coach to Vienna’ today rests in its mythic quality. The crux of the story may well be placed in the ‘real,’ but the affect of the mise-en-scène is that of a murderous fable.”
Pinky Push-ups and Weaponized Lapdogs: The Daniels Take a Spin Through the Multiverse in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
“‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ nearly wears out its welcome, but as far as hot dog-fingered audacity goes, the Daniels will make plenty of new eyeballs go googly.”
The Eternal Substance of ‘Into the Night: Portraits of Life and Death’
“‘Into the Night’ is a valuable resource for the ‘connoisseur of fear.'”
Finding Clarity in Claustrophobia: ‘Mass’ and ‘The Humans’
“In ‘Mass’ and ‘The Humans,’ the single location is used as a platform for ideas that seek universal understanding and collective empathy.”
The Milk of Kindness: Andrea Arnold’s ‘Cow’
“‘Cow’ strikes just the right balance between the filmmaker’s self-awareness, which punctuates the movie’s soundtrack selections, and Arnold’s long-game feminist commentary.”
They Know Not What They Do: The Passion of the Christ in Franco Zeffirelli’s ‘Jesus of Nazareth’
“‘Jesus of Nazareth’ is precisely a film of moments, and Zeffirelli depicts them with expert technique.”
Having It All: The Career Woman Takes Over
D.M. Palmer on the career women of ‘9 to 5’ (1980), ‘Baby Boom’ (1987), ‘Big Business’ (1988), ‘Working Girl’ (1988) and ‘Disclosure’ (1994).
On Power and Pleasure in Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Phantom Thread’
“‘Phantom Thread’ is for anyone who has ever been hungry, for anyone who has ever been in love. Most of all, it’s for those people who know that love and hunger are, at their most acutely expressed, one and the same.”
Only in Chaos Are We Conceivable
“The future appears bleak for the telenovela characters of ‘The Wandering Soap Opera,’ but at least they have accessible entertainment options to distract them from all the normalized chaos.”
The American Horizon: Working Life in the New Hollywood
“What is so strange about the New Hollywood renaissance of the 70s is that it took place at a time of acute crisis for the business. It was a signal of the industry’s weakness that these cracks in the veneer were not only permitted but encouraged…”