“With almost surgical precision, filmmakers Peter Middleton and James Spinney dissect the life and work of a legend in ‘The Real Charlie Chaplin,’ a worthwhile addition to the many studies of one of the most recognizable screen performers in cinema history.”
“Right from the get-go in ‘House of Gucci,’ it’s clear that something is amiss.”
“‘Prisoners of the Ghostland’ is like a failed yet well-made pilot episode, one that teases high drama but doesn’t have anything interesting to say about the characters.”
“The biggest takeaway from ‘Clerk,’ aside from the fact that the terrific Joey Lauren Adams should’ve had a bigger career, is that nobody is more surprised by Smith’s success than the man himself.”
“Tebo’s low-stakes take on holiday horror is a lot like Christmas candy; ‘Black Friday’ hits the spot, but you might be left craving something slightly more substantial soon afterwards.”
“I’ll never be the same after watching ‘Chocolate Road.’ No longer will I eat a bonbon without seeing a massive cacao plant. I won’t be able to watch ‘Chocolat’ without thinking about Central American cacao plant clones. That’s a good thing…”
“With ‘Listening to Kenny G,’ Lane affirms her status as one of the most talented nonfiction storytellers working today.”
“There’s plenty of skepticism to be found in ‘The Bengali’; however, that’s just the starting point for an important conversation about first encounters, cultural education and life-changing travel experiences.”
“‘Great White’ may not be a groundbreaking or unique film, but it’s made with respect, and that deserves to be reciprocated.”
“‘Lair’ succeeds with its female-led possession story but fails with the flat adjacent flat subplot.”
“The Fårö setting in ‘Bergman Island’ provides Hansen-Løve with a treasure chest of opportunities to indulge and explore cinephilia, reflexivity, homage and intertext, but the potential autobiographical interpretations are equally enticing.”
“With ‘Dead & Beautiful,’ Verbeek foreshadows the inevitable clash between the progressive leaders of tomorrow and conservative vampires who seek blood. As new generations of wealth emerge, will the enlightened prioritize reality over their personas?”
“‘Like the very best of Wes Anderson, ‘The French Dispatch’ is large and contains multitudes.”
“The multifaceted, nuanced quality of music is vital to ‘Last Night in Soho,’ in which people aren’t so easily defined.”
“Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune: Part One’ is a worthy addition to the collection, besting the Lynch film in certain ways but still flummoxed and frustrated by the source material’s conversation-heavy downside.”
“Like its predecessor, ‘The Souvenir Part II’ is defined by its open spaces; the silences in conversation, the gap between ‘action’ and ‘cut,’ the clouds between the memory of how something happened, and the reality of it.”
“‘Halloween Kills’ may not be to everybody’s tastes, but there’s a reason for that ‘kills’ in the title, beyond attention-grabbing marketing. The word refers not just to Michael himself but the rot at the core of Haddonfield…”
“The ‘cinematic’ moviegoing experience is gradually taking shape once more, not just the notion of spectacle, but stimulation of the mind and conscience.”
“Holland and Sodaro are so effortlessly good together, their characters evoking the kind of visual contrast unforgettably rendered by Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy…”
“‘The Medium’ is arguably the horror movie of the year, one that should be seen on the biggest screen possible.”