Monthly Archives: May 2018

Deliberate aimlessness is the narrative goal of “Sollers Point,” an intimate, gritty and meandering character study built around a charismatic turn by leading man McCaul Lombardi. The film follows his character, Keith, through a month or so of trying to … Continue reading →

If one didn’t know better, one might swear on a copy of “Fahrenheit 451” that the makers of “They Remain” had just seen “Annihilation” and set out to do a micro-budget/tiny-cast/no-name-cast version. They didn’t, of course. But if we’re going … Continue reading →

It’s Wednesday, and what do we know about movies that “preview” Wednesdays? There are two such previews tonight in my little corner of filmdom. And judging from the lack of reviews posted elsewhere, most critics are facing this dilemma. Do … Continue reading →

“The Rider” is a docudrama as elegy, a slice of rodeo realism that both romanticizes and demythologizes the Cowboy Way in a corner of America where that still means something. Chloe Zhao’s follow-up to “Songs My Brother Taught Me” could … Continue reading →

Ned Chipley doesn’t do things half-way. He’s an eager beaver of the first order. “He just wants to help,” his frustrated mother explains. He wants to help entirely too much. Like the time, in the cougar suit as his high … Continue reading →

In space, on Mars, things can go wrong. And do. But what’s an investigator into a space accident to do when the AI “assisting” her in the digging has a mind of its own? Sci-fi on a budget, for sure. … Continue reading →

“Terminal” is a neo-noir mystery-thriller in the “Sin City/Dark City” vein, a not-exactly-triumph of style over story, surface sheen over coherence. Built around another bombshell bad-girl turn by Margot Robbie, it’s getting limited release and is destined to be quickly … Continue reading →

    A few years back, the U.S. Supreme Court established the idea of “corporate personhood,” insisting the organizations and companies have the same rights — “free speech,” etc. — as people. But one thing I always wondered about the … Continue reading →

If you’re familiar with Eric Stoltz‘s acting career, especially the early years, you won’t be the least surprised at the sort of teen movie he’s chosen to make stepping behind the camera. The star of “Mask” and the John Hughes-scripted … Continue reading →