MOONLIGHT TRULY SHINES
Every young author is encouraged to “write what you know,” and it’s a particular brand of cut-to-the-bone honesty that makes Moonlight so arresting. Its portrait of life in the Liberty City neighborhood of Miami feels real because it is.…
REVIEWING GROUCHO, HARPO, CHICO, JIMMY STEWART—AND ME
It’s a bit awkward reviewing projects in which I am involved. I’ve always made a practice of stating it up front, even though in most cases I’m only a contributor and not responsible for the documentary, book, or DVD…
A REACH TOO FAR: JACK REACHER NEVER GO BACK
Tom Cruise embodies the meaning of “movie star” better than anyone else working today. He still looks great and effortlessly commands the screen, especially in a vehicle like this that plays to his strengths: lots of running and physical…
‘THE ACCOUNTANT’ DOESN’T ADD UP
For sheer novelty value The Accountant scores points: not only is the action hero a Certified Public Accountant–he’s also autistic. It’s an intriguing idea at first. The boy’s military father practices “tough love” bullying—and how to fight back. Affleck grows up…
‘CHRISTINE’ IS SPINE-TINGLINGLY GOOD
Rebecca Hall is one of the best actresses working today, a woman of great versatility and command of the screen. Like any great performer she makes what she does look easy, unfortunately she hasn’t received the attention or acclaim…
‘CERTAIN WOMEN’ STAYS WITH YOU
It requires patience to watch Kelly Reichardt’s deliberately slow-moving films but when they are as good as Old Joy, Wendy and Lucy and Meek’s Cutoff I feel amply rewarded. Certain Women is an anthology of vignettes about women who…
‘TOWER’ IS A MUST-SEE DOCUMENTARY
Tower is one of the most original and effective documentaries I have ever seen. It even takes the now-familiar ingredient of animation as a storytelling tool and gives it an unexpected twist. Texas-raised filmmaker Keith Maitland wanted to commemorate…
