Movie Reviews

The Story: After killing a white man in self-defense, an aboriginal man flees into the Australian outback. The Lowdown: A stark, often brutal movie that doesn't rely on shock and ugliness, but humanity instead.

The Story: An injured rodeo rider must decide whether or not he'll risk his life by getting back in the ring. The Lowdown: A deconstructionist docudrama staring nonprofessional actors effectively playing themselves that takes aim at the mythos of machismo established in classic cowboy cinema.

The Story: A look at the illustrious career and indelible legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The Lowdown: A fawning and occasionally superficial documentary, the shortcomings of which are largely overcome by the significance and appeal of its subject.

The Story: A middle-age Parisian painter looks for love in all the wrong places. The Lowdown: An unconventionally structured deconstructionist rom-com that packs an emotional punch but no catharsis.

The Story: When four "friends of a certain age" read the 50 Shades trilogy as part of their monthly book club, they're inspired to make some changes in their love lives. The Lowdown: The first entry in the 50 Shades Extended Cinematic Universe brings nothing new to the table or the genre but sets up…

In Brief: It has been said that Yasujirô Ozu’s films are all the same, and while that’s a thematically valid point, it’s not technically true. Nowhere is this more obvious than in his final film, An Autumn Afternoon (1962), which is essentially a reworking of his 1949 film Late Spring. They have similar plots, the same star…

In Brief: Potentially Billy Wilder's most cynical comedy (if far from his most cynical film), The Apartment (1960) dealt with material that was particularly daring in its era. That the film still packs ample dramatic weight and resonance nearly six decades later is a testament not only to Wilder's directorial prowess, but also to the emotional honesty of…

The Story: The estranged daughter of an Orthodox rabbi returns home for her father's funeral, only to be confronted with the harsh judgment of her community over an illicit love affair from the past that may not be as defunct as she thinks. The Lowdown: A methodically paced and carefully constructed character study of two women in love but separated…

The Story: A small Hungarian hamlet is gripped by paranoia in the immediate aftermath of World War II when a pair of Jews return to the village, possibly to reclaim their property from the people who exploited it in their absence. The Lowdown: A moving morality play on a shoestring budget with an unfortunately timely message.

The Story: An intimate look at the life and legacy of legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman. The Lowdown: A concise and adroitly directed documentary delving more into the personality of Perlman than the details of his career.

The Story: A portrait of model, actress and musician Grace Jones. The Lowdown: Despite some entertaining musical performances, the film suffers from a lack of focus and real cinematic artistry.

The Story: A mother fights to protect her two young children during a home invasion. The Lowdown: Panic Room knockoff minus all the inventiveness the director of V For Vendetta should have brought to a project like this.

The Story: A mother enrolls at her daughter's college after finding out her husband wants a divorce. The Lowdown: Your mom goes to college.

In Brief: Ingmar Bergman was just 40 when he made Wild Strawberries, but he shows much of himself in the character of 78-year-old Isak Borg (Victor Sjöström). The very fact that he cast filmmaker Sjöström — a pioneer in Swedish film who had an impressive career in Hollywood silent film as Victor Seastrom — is…

In Brief: "Important" films from Martin Scorsese tend to be divisive, not only because audiences would rather see him reiterate the same gangster tropes in perpetuity  (remember when nobody showed up for his excellent Silence last year?), but also because the director himself seems to get a little lost when he starts dealing with more serious subject matter. While The Last Temptation…

In Brief: In 1957, this pair of Roger Corman cheapies played on a double bill and was advertised as a “Terrorama! Double Horror Sensation!” As with most sci-fi horror pictures of its era, the ad campaign smacks of wishful thinking. Yet there’s no denying that Not of This Earth (a premise Corman liked so much that…

The Story: An Israeli family is devastated by the news that their son has died while performing compulsory military service, only to discover that a terrible mistake has been made. The Lowdown: A brutally conceived and beautifully executed political allegory that deftly balances human tragedy with occasional touches of blackhearted farce.

The Story: An overtaxed mother receives some much-needed help from a mercurial young night nanny. The Lowdown: An interesting take on the burdens and societal pressures of motherhood that goes thoroughly off the rails in its third act.

The Story: When a burglar discovers a woman held prisoner in a house he's robbing, he goes on a mission to bring the woman's captor to justice. The Lowdown: The pretty standard and otherwise forgettable low-budget thriller has only the whacked-out performance by David Tenant going for it, but that's enough (he's worth it).

In Brief: One of only three films directed by Robin Hardy, much of what makes The Wicker Man (1973) so special can likely be attributed to recently deceased writer Anthony Shaffer, who also wrote Hitchcock's Frenzy and both the stage and screen versions of Sleuth. This film is unquestionably a definitive cult classic, due largely to…