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WHAT I LIKED: The obvious thing to do if you were writing a Leonard Bernstein biopic would have been to focus on his musical career, but Bradley Cooper's 'Maestro,' is all about his marriage to Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). From their fir... Read the full review »

I can’t fault director John Carney for sticking with his trademark formula; he is, after all, batting 1,000 with “Once” and “Begin Again.” “Sing Street” adds to his holy trinity of exemplary music themed tales. This musical coming o... Read the full review »

There are certain movies that are so intensely personal, so fiercely credible that there’s no question they are based on true stories. “The Big Sick” is one of those films that lives and breathes authenticity. It feels authentic because it i... Read the full review »

I was already irritated by director, star, and co-writer Bradley Cooper‘s Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro” less than two minutes in, when it became clear that this was a project created with the intention of appeasing awards voters instead... Read the full review »

First things first: “The Iron Claw” isn’t so much a movie about wrestling as it is a movie about family. Those expecting a traditional, feel-good biographical sports film may be slightly disappointed by this heart wrenching, hard-hitting dra... Read the full review »

Based on the New York Times bestselling non-fiction novel by Daniel James Brown, “The Boys in the Boat” tells the story of the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that competed for the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. This ro... Read the full review »

Greek “Weird Wave” director Yorgos Lanthimos has a reputation for his vigorous attraction to stories that embrace the most taboo elements of society, and “Poor Things” is one of the best in his unabashedly weird, dystopian filmography. In... Read the full review »

Fresh off the success of (and Oscar win for) her 2020 debut feature film “Promising Young Woman,” writer/director Emerald Fennell carries the boundary-pushing themes of power, gender, sex, and class into her second film, “Saltburn.” She ac... Read the full review »

Weeks after screening acclaimed director Frederick Wiseman‘s four hour documentary “Menus-Plaisirs: Les Troisgros,” the main thing that has still been on my mind is that unbelievable cheese cart. (Really, it’s one of the most magnificent d... Read the full review »

There’s a lurid, made-for-t.v. movie quality that gives “May December” a wicked streak that’s both tongue-in-cheek and deliciously potent. Director Todd Haynes creates a complex film about objective truth, distorted reality, and the perils... Read the full review »

The gimmick of having a film with very little spoken dialogue works quite well with “Silent Night,” acclaimed director John Woo’s super stylish revenge thriller. Woo strikes the perfect balance between intense action sequences and equally co... Read the full review »

The whimsical, playful “Wonka” is quite enchanting and far better than I could’ve ever expected. In fact, it may just be the most pleasant surprise of 2023. Based on characters from Roald Dahl’s iconic 1964 novel “Charlie and the Chocola... Read the full review »

“The Boy and the Heron” is director Hayao Miyazaki‘s first feature film in a decade, and it’s one that was worth the wait. Written by the 82-year-old Miyazaki as a semi-autobiographical, spiritual journey, the film features a wealth of cre... Read the full review »

Slow moving, confusing, and too abstract, director Andrew Haigh‘s “All of Us Strangers” at first glance seems like a clear swing and a miss. The story falls victim to queer cinema and indie clichés with far out of the mainstream subject mat... Read the full review »

Devotees of the surrealist, absurdist style of writer / director Quentin Dupieux are going to find themselves smitten with his latest project, “Smoking Causes Coughing.” With his eccentric sensibilities and wry humor, Dupieux has created a tot... Read the full review »

With an opening that immediately grabs your attention and draws you in, director Um Tae-hwa’s post-apocalyptic disaster film “Concrete Utopia” is an entertaining genre project that levies a searing social critique about the haves, the have-n... Read the full review »

The predictable but cute “Genie” is definitely much better than the garbage I expected it to be, which I realize doesn’t sound like the greatest compliment. This pleasantly predictable Christmas movie certainly lacks depth and sophistication... Read the full review »

There is a sophisticated complexity to co-writer and director Justine Triet‘s “Anatomy of a Fall” that makes it one of the more challenging and ambitious films of the year. This is a highly suspenseful murder mystery that isn’t about unrav... Read the full review »

The true story of how one young man’s obsession with evangelical religion proved fatal provides the shocking backbone to co-directors Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine’s “The Mission,” a documentary that will provoke discussion and debate abou... Read the full review »

Epic period film “The Promised Land” is a Danish historical drama styled like an old fashioned American Western. Adapted from the best-selling Danish book “The Captain and Ann Barbara” by Ida Jessen, director Nikolaj Arcel’s tells the st... Read the full review »

The white knuckle documentary “Beyond Utopia” captures a family’s traumatic escape from their home country of North Korea as they seek a better future for themselves and their children after living under a lifetime of oppression, suffering,... Read the full review »

Based on Anthony Quinn’s novel “Curtain Call,” director Anand Tucker’s “The Critic” fully embraces the darker aspects of the story. This tale of deception and murder in pre-World War II London makes for an engaging story, but the film... Read the full review »

I lean towards the colder side of lukewarm on “100 Yards,” a classic Kung Fu movie co-directed by brothers Haofeng and Junfeng Xu. The martial arts choreography is proficient but uninspired, and no amount of stylish filmmaking can overcome the... Read the full review »

WHAT I LIKED: Kelly Fremon Craig's 'Are You There God, It's Me Margaret,' is a lovely coming of age movie about a girl (Abby Ryder Fortson) moving to New Jersey and contending with the anxieties of periods, boobs and choosing between her mother's... Read the full review »