Monthly Archives: January 2017

Nothing much happens to the working class poet Adam Driver plays in Jim Jarmusch’s meditative “Paterson,” a drama aptly-set in the New Jersey hometown of poets William Carlos Williams and Allen Ginsburg. It’s a still-life imagining of a poet’s life … Continue reading →

It doesn’t limit “20th Century Women” to call it a “coming of age” story. Because there is no limit to that which comes of age in it. Sure, there’s a teenage boy, Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann). And he’s got this … Continue reading →

We don’t mislabel it “schizophrenia” any more. And few call them “multiple personalities” these days. It’s “Dissociative identity disorder” now. But it’s still every actor’s wet dream. And given the chance to play a kidnapper with an array of guises living … Continue reading →

Every now and then, a cop picture comes along that makes bullet points out of the cliches common to the genre. “Sleepless,” a remake of the French thriller “Nuit blanche,” is here to teach us the conventions of “the cop … Continue reading →

Gonzo. Just…gonzo.

It doesn’t spoil “Patriots Day,” the new thriller about the Boston Marathon Bombing and the hunt for the bombers, knowing this. Mark Wahlberg, as a “suspended and then redeemed” cop at the center of the action, is playing a fictional character, … Continue reading →

Regarding that headline, here’s the old Oscar maxim. “Best Directors direct Best Pictures.” If your director doesn’t get nominated, your picture, even if nominated, doesn’t stand a chance at winning Best Picture. So “La La Land,” “Arrival,” “Manchester by the … Continue reading →

“The Bye Bye Man” is a moldy slice of Wisconsin-set cheese, a horror film that manages as many unwanted laughs as frights. But there was just enough here — maybe in the pitch, if not the script — to attract … Continue reading →

Michelle lets it slip, almost casually, in a restaurant — at a group dinner with friends. “I guess,” she hems and haws, “I was raped…I feel stupid for bringing it up.” But we already know that. We’ve seen the brutal … Continue reading →

The legends of America’s great robber barons are equal parts inspiring and appalling. And damned if “The Founder” doesn’t get that balance just right. Director John Lee Hancock (“The Blindside”) tells the story of McDonald’s tycoon Ray Kroc with old fashioned … Continue reading →