The Holdovers
Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is a curmudgeonly teacher of ancient civilizations. Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) is a smart but sarcastic student, and Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) is the stern head of the cafeteria. These disparate individuals form a trio that bond while stranded over the Christmas holiday at a New England prep school. The […]
Anatomy of a Fall
The Palme d’Or winning French hit finally arrived stateside in October. Anatomy of a Fall is a fresh and intelligent take on the classic courtroom drama. Directed by Justine Triet, she co-wrote the screenplay with her romantic partner Arthur Harari and weaves elements of director Alfred Hitchcock into the developments. Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis) is […]
The Marvels
Say hello to the 33rd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The Marvels is the 10th episode in the overarching segemnt called The Multiverse Saga, which began with Black Widow in 2021. This latest entry is a sequel to the film Captain Marvel from 2019 and concerns that character. However, Carol Danvers / Captain […]
Nyad
She was born to swim. In Greek mythology, a naiad is a water nymph said to inhabit a river, spring, or waterfall. Diana Nyad recollects that her father connects their last name to aquatic pursuits. She fondly recalls his words: “This is your destiny!” This sports biopic of American long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad is based […]
Totally Killer
Totally Killer joins Happy Death Day (2017) and Freaky (2020) as a welcome addition to an awkward genre that combines the slasher movie with outright comedy. The story concerns a teen girl named Jamie (Kiernan Shipka). Her mother (Julie Bowen) is murdered in the present day by an assailant dubbed “The Sweet 16 Killer,” whose […]
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Blumhouse Productions has another success. The company behind recent horror hits like The Black Phone, and M3GAN produced this perfectly timed Halloween offering. I only wish it were a better picture. Five Nights at Freddy’s is a supernatural film based on a computer game franchise. The point-and-click survival challenge relies on jump scares. It has […]
The Burial
Stellar courtroom dramas were commonplace in the 1990s: Reversal of Fortune, A Few Good Men, Philadelphia, The Firm, Sleepers, and Primal Fear, among others. Had The Burial come out back then, it probably would have seemed unexceptional by comparison. However, these days, star-driven, old-fashioned movies of this sort are less plentiful. The Burial felt like […]
Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert De Niro and Leonardo Di Caprio have separately performed in 14 of Martin Scorsese’s feature films. The two celebrated actors have appeared in the same picture before (This Boy’s Life, Marvin’s Room). However, they have never collaborated on any of the director’s full-length movies. [The two appeared in The Audition, a 16-minute short that […]
Fair Play
Fair Play follows a young couple. Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) are financial analysts at the same cutthroat Manhattan hedge fund. They are in love and Luke proposes to Emily. However, they keep their relationship a secret at work for fear it may adversely affect their employment. Soon after, Emily is elevated to […]
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
Given how expensive concerts have become, seeing one of this magnitude for a comparatively inexpensive movie ticket is a treat. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is a concert film that her in-house production company made independently in collaboration with Silent House Productions. Directed by Sam Wrench (Billie Eilish Live at the O2, Lizzo: Live in […]