Category: Review

  • Paris Is Burning

    Paris Is Burning

    Paris is Burning struck its match when director Jennie Livingston was walking through Washington Square and stopped to watch a group of young men voguing. They invited her to a drag ball. At the time Livingston was “sniffing around” for a documentary subject, but once she got a noseful of the ball, she got addicted.…

  • A Walk in the Woods

    A Walk in the Woods

    Two of my wife and my best friends are inveterate hikers/backpackers. Despite being our age (that is, old), hardly a day goes by without their taking a several mile walk in the country, and often off-road. Of course, they live in the back country of Virginia’s mountains which makes these travels more accessible. Still, their…

  • In Bruges

    In Bruges

    Full disclosure: This movie touches on so much, and in sometimes subtle but profound ways, that I can only put a small amount of what I thought into words… and inconclusive words at that. In a way it is like splitting the atom — the amount of energy released is incredible, but to harness it…

  • The Jungle Book

    The Jungle Book

    “Now this is the Law of the Jungle — as old and as true as the sky…” begins Kipling’s poem in the original Jungle Book. The Law of the Jungle is not just survival of the fittest, it is a recitation of all that brings life and order to the wolf pack. How does the…

  • Midnight Special

    Midnight Special

    Film has always been a director’s medium. I grew up on Steven Spielberg movies. That name meant something. I could trust it. As I dived deeper into film, other names entered my circle of trust: David Fincher, Darren Aronofsky, and Christopher Nolan to name a few. I’m not interested in a perfect track record. Every…

  • The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

    The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

    From the start, I must acknowledge the Ben in the review. Not me. Though I am here. Hi there. No, I must acknowledge the other Ben. Ben Stiller. If you are a fan of Stiller – you clicked the wrong link, ‘bye now – or if you are just a fan of movies – you…

  • The True Cost

    The True Cost

    It was the only day of the year my eyes ever saw 4am when I was in high school: Black Friday. My cousin, visiting from out of town, and I would rouse ourselves before sunrise, pull on our jeans, slap leftover turkey into a sandwich, and drive to the mall near my grandparents house for…

  • Her

    Her

    The film opens with a man’s voice. It’s a sincere voice, affectionate, sensual yet caring. The camera slowly pans over the man’s face, and he’s reading an intimate letter, a letter that (we assume) is written to the person he loves. The man’s words are tender and earnest, and it is instantly familiar and soothing…

  • The Witch

    The Witch

    About this time last year, buzz began to spread about a horror film hot off the festival circuit called It Follows. The reviews were incredible. Critics called it one of the scariest films in years. They were right. Not only was It Follows one of the best horror films in recent memory, it was also…

  • Son of Saul

    Son of Saul

    Son of Saul is a movie unlike any other I’ve seen.  Critics agree. It has recently racked up an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, four awards at the Cannes film festival, as well as thirty-eight others. This is more than just another holocaust film. In fact it was intentionally made to be different than most…