PRISCILLA: A MINIMALIST BIOPIC
I think I’ve just seen the first minimalist biopic ever made. Most movies about famous people’s lives come from the opposite direction, embellishing their feats, triumphs and failures. This one simply observes, almost without comment, the—uh—unusual relationship between Priscilla…
NYAD: AN EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE
Like many or most of you, I’ve watched Annette Bening and Jodie Foster give fine performances for years and years, but I got so wrapped up in NYAD –and their exceptional work—that I allowed myself to believe that they…
THE HOLDOVERS: THE YEAR’S BEST MOVIE TO DATE
It’s a shame that Alexander Payne isn’t more prolific; six years have passed since his last film appeared on theater screens, the underappreciated Downsizing. All the more reason to cheer for and welcome The Holdovers, the most satisfying film I’ve seen all year.…
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
The day after watching this important new film I read a fascinating interview with Martin Scorsese in The New Yorker. In it, he revealed that his original plan of faithfully adapting David Grann’s novel went aground after a first reading…
SHE CAME TO ME
As a fan of such films as Personal Velocity and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, I looked forward to the latest work by writer-director Rebecca Miller. But I can only describe She Came to Me as odd. A heavy-handed farce, it is acted…
MIRANDA’S VICTIM: AN IMPORTANT STORY
The term “Miranda Rights” will be familiar to anyone who watches police procedurals on TV. This film follows the sexual assault case that led to American citizens being read their “Miranda rights” when being arrested. The woman who bravely…
BOTTOMS: COMEDY FROM A FRESH NEW VOICE
Writer-director Emma Seligman graduated from NYU just six years ago but she’s fast becoming a media darling. Two years ago her debut feature, Shiva Baby, earned her the John Cassavetes prize at the Film Independent Spirit Awards and made her…
