Film
The Brattle is back. Settle into its new seats for classics and cult faves
After a weeklong closure for renovations, the Brattle Theatre reopens Friday, with an ambitious summer lineup. Following a Friday matinee of the original “West Side Story” (1961) on 35mm are two weekend-long premiere runs, one a new restoration of an old favorite, one a new feature by a cult legend. Elaine May’s “Mikey and Nicky” […]
A spaghetti western and new Spider-Man
“Dead Souls” ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 2.5 out of 4. For his self-proclaimed final film, cult warrior Alex Cox has laid his sights on Donald Trump, ICE, and AI. Not a bad hit list, but a little weird when you consider it’s a spaghetti western based on the 1842 book by Nikolai Gogol — where a shady […]
Ross McElwee: Processing pain and grief on film
Ross McElwee, the affable, soft-spoken southern gentleman who bares all in his autobiographical documentaries, has often chronicled personal pain. In his groundbreaking work, “Sherman’s March” (1986), we see a budding young filmmaker’s lost loves and unrealized yearnings. In his latest, “Remake,” he wrestles with the tragic death of his son in 2016. Read more Why […]
A mishit and a backfire from two new movies
“The Dink” ⭐⭐ Rating: 2 out of 4. What if a top tennis player faltered in their career and had to slum it on the pickleball circuit? That’s kind of the loose “Happy Gilmore”—esque concept behind this not quite pickled-enough comedy that stars Jake Johnson (“New Girl,” “Drinking Buddies”) as said fictional tennis star Dustin […]
Epic storytelling brings the original anti-hero to life
“The Odyssey” ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3 out of 4. Christopher Nolan’s $250 million retelling of Homer’s classic sword-and-sandal epic is here. And it is also epic, with a nearly three-hour running time. The film delivers, if unevenly, but when the bow is strung and taut, “The Odyssey” flies with fury and purpose. Even though we know […]
Two new rom-coms and a zombie movie
“Office Romance” ⭐⭐ Rating: 2 out of 4. There’s plenty of turbulence — and even some flatulence — but few romantic sparks in this Jennifer Lopez showcase about a tough female CEO who gets involved with her corporate attorney. The rub is that the airline company, AirCruz, has a no-office-romance policy. It’s a fireable offense, […]
This film about dinner with the neighbors is a winner
“The Invite” ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3 out of 4. Questions of happiness and fulfillment take center stage in “The Invite,” a barbed comedy about a couple at a bitter crossroads in their marriage. Angela (Olivia Wilde) and Joe (Seth Rogen) are further challenged by their upstairs neighbors who, over the course of a single dinner, amplify […]
When Washington fought for the British
“Young Washington” ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 2.5 out of 4. Happy 250th, ‘Merica, from Angel Studios, which brings us this founding father and first president origin story. We might not all be in the flag-waving mood, what with MMA on the South Lawn, war with Iran and ICE raids (though maybe that gets your patriotic fervor going), […]
Plot problems plague a trio of films
“Minions & Monsters” ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 2.5 out of 4. By any metric, the Minion movies are among the most successful cinematic creations of the 21st century. Since their introduction in 2015’s “Despicable Me,” the subverbal yellow creatures have appeared in seven films, launched a merchandising empire and inspired one of the internet’s most inscrutable meme […]
“National Treasure” and other film gems
This week’s repertory series at the Brattle Theatre began simply as an excuse to screen “National Treasure” (2004), the ludicrous yet lovable heist picture in which Nicolas Cage plays a historian forced to steal the Declaration of Independence, on the Fourth of July. But the title of “National Treasure” becomes a double entendre when one […]