Film
Toy Story’s 5th another fine production
“Toy Story 5” ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3 out of 4. The latest installation of the “Toy Story” franchise extends its record as one of the most adaptable film franchises. Perhaps its success comes from its palpable themes of vulnerability — being replaced, being outgrown or forgotten, becoming irrelevant. Maybe it’s the potpourri of misfits, voiced by […]
‘The Death of Robin Hood’
⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3 out of 4. Revisionism is a powerful dispeller of myth. Consider how Oliver Stone, Francis Ford Coppola, and Stanley Kubrick reframed the public understanding of the Vietnam War. Or how Sergio Leone, Sam Peckinpah, and Clint Eastwood cut the morally righteous reins on the American Western. Read more At the Middle East, […]
A new kind of close encounter with the aliens among us
“Disclosure Day” ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3.5 out of 4. When Steven Spielberg makes a movie about aliens, it’s a good idea to pay attention. His latest, “Disclosure Day,” brings the Spielbergian pop mystique, while also being one of the most singularly weird original blockbusters in ages. Josh O’Connor plays Daniel Keller, an operative who goes rogue […]
Film noir & David Lynch’s America
If someone asked you to picture a film noir, you’d probably conjure a handful of visual signifiers: a sultry femme fatale, a hard-drinking gumshoe in a fedora, shadows darker than the human soul. But what would it sound like? Chances are you can already hear a low, bluesy saxophone, possibly accompanied by lightly brushed drums […]
Four new films explore war, gender, and crime true and comedic
“Pressure” ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3 out of 4. Who knew that the timing of D-Day was much ado about dueling meteorologists? Obviously, David Haig, whose play about this little-known chapter of the war gets the big-screen treatment in the capable hands of Anthony Maras (the deft thriller, “Hotel Mumbai”) — and Haig, who co-wrote the screenplay. […]
Celebrating youth-based films with DIYDS
For teens — especially teens of color or diverse socioeconomic backgrounds — representation on screen can be uninspiring at best, and opportunities behind the camera are next to nonexistent. Thankfully, the Do It Your Damn Self National Youth Film Festival, which screens its yearly showcase Friday at the Brattle Theatre, remains an oasis of youthful […]
Kurosawa, Kurt & Jodie, Chaplin, and doppelgangers
Even among the rich, eerie world of Japanese horror cinema, Kiyoshi Kurosawa stands alone. His films mix traditional Japanese forces and spirits with the more mundane horrors of the modern world (Kurosawa’s most recent feature, last year’s “Cloud,” is a morality tale about a crooked eBay reseller). In celebration of the release of Kurosawa’s new […]