Xpress critics look back on the year in film.
Author: Bruce Steele
Showing 1-21 of 101 results
Greenland
If 2020 has put you in the mood for a flaming, violent end-of-the-world action movie, the absurd, modestly competent Greenland is here for you.
Soul
Soul conjures music, faith, eternity, race and more, and so does the Pixar movie that bears that title, a film of eye-popping artistry and great storytelling.
The Library That Dolly Built
This slim documentary on Dolly Parton's Imagination Library will immerse you in untarnished goodness for an hour or so.
76 Days
This harrowing documentary captures the chaos in the hospitals of Wuhan, China, during its 76-day lockdown to stifle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Uncle Frank
Filmed in Wilmington, Alan Ball's '70s-set coming-out drama/comedy is brimming with humanity.
Hillbilly Elegy
The Asheville Movie Guys discuss Ron Howard’s adaptation of J.D. Vance’s best-selling memoir.
Born to Be
This documentary about a surgeon specializing in gender-affirming procedures is remarkable in part because everything about it is so evidently ordinary.
Monsoon
Henry Golding stars in this Vietnam-set drama that's too vague for its own good.
Wolfwalkers
The latest from Irish animation artist Tomm Moore is visually sumptuous and relates a captivating, original myth.
The Climb
A mild comedy about a toxic friendship, The Climb is an audacious feature film debut by Michael Angelo Covino, its star, director and co-writer.
City Hall
This four-hour-plus doc about Boston city government is like being stuck in an endless Zoom meeting you wish you hadn't been invited to.
The Donut King
It's an upbeat immigrant success story with sprinkles and cream — and even a late twist.
A Rainy Day in New York
Edwin Arnaudin and Bruce Steele discuss Woody Allen's latest romantic comedy.
Coming Home Again
This beautifully made film will be recognizable to any adult child coming to understand the full humanity of his or her own mother.
Citizens of the World
It's not a laugh-out-loud comedy but an affable fable about three Italian retirees determined to find a new home abroad.
Aggie/Belly of the Beast
New documentaries about arts patron and social activist Agnes Gund and the legal battle to stop forced sterilizations of incarcerated women intersect at a vital point of empathy.
White Riot
This inspiring documentary on grassroots movement Rock Against Racism depicts a frightening chapter in British history.
Martin Eden
Jack London's 1909 semiautobiographical novel translates moderately well to post-World War II Italy.
The Boys in the Band
The cast from the 2018 Broadway production of the groundbreaking 1968 play reunite for this superb Netflix film.
Herb Alpert Is…
This entertaining documentary on the talented trumpeter suffers from a guiding structure.