Daily Archives: December 1, 2021

It’s not uncommon for first time writer-directors to make movies about a “hero” they identify with — at least a little — and a situation seen from the point of view of someone like them. That’s not necessarily a good … Continue reading →

Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro’s take on “Nightmare Alley,” a noirish carny novel first adapted for a Tyrone Power film in 1947, is a pitiless vision of an underworld of grifters and tent-show hustlers. Stunningly-detailed, with an A-list cast up … Continue reading →

There’s one obvious metaphor that I dare say playwright turned filmmaker Stephen Karam couldn’t make nearly as obvious in his play, “The Humans,” when it was on the stage. But it stands out like a scarlet letter in his intimate, … Continue reading →

Stately, austere and somewhat soap operatic, “The Power of the Dog” is an intimate story in a Cinemascope setting, and marks a welcome return to feature films for New Zealand’s Jane Campion, director of “The Piano” and most recently (in … Continue reading →

Cameroonian filmmaker Olivier Assoua makes his feature directing debut with “The Eagle’s Nest,” a lurid, lurching and muddled melodrama that still manages some good ideas and terrific moments. The screenplay, which he co-wrote, has an “everything but the kitchen sink” … Continue reading →

“Even Mice Belong in Heaven” is the most adorable and unusual animated offering for kids this year. A Czech production based on a children’s book by Iva Procházková, it’s an afterlife tale. And unlike “All Dogs Go to Heaven,” it’s … Continue reading →