Movie Reviews

The Story: A talented but narcissistic neurosurgeon must seek mystical skills to heal himself when a car crash destroys his hands, leading to his unwitting involvement in an interdimensional conflict between good and evil. The Lowdown: The now-classic Marvel Studios formula with visual effects that go to 11, Doctor Strange is "excelsior!" with a few minor caveats.

The Story: When a group of grotesque giants threatens their way of life, a group of colorful trolls must muster the courage to stand up to them. The Lowdown: An aggressively cute animated musical, steeped in bright colors and hokey humor, that has little else to offer.

The Story: Biopic of Army medic and conscientious objector Desmond Doss, who refused to carry a gun during his training and the Battle of Okinawa. The Lowdown: Andrew Garfield is horribly miscast, and the story often unnecessarily veers away from the compelling true story to explore Doss’ nightmares. War is hell, but this film often is too.

In Brief: François Truffaut’s Shoot the Piano Player (1960) is one of those celebrated films that I had somehow just never seen till this weekend. Oh, I’d seen clips and knew a little about it—and I’d suspected that the phony gangster-movie opening of Ken Russell’s 1966 TV film on composer Georges Delerue, Don’t Shoot the Composer, was based on…

In Brief: Pépé le Moko is a massively influential film, and rightly so. Probably French poetic realist Julien Duvivier's best known work, this movie bridges the gap between poetic realism and the later emergence of film noir, presages Italian neorealism and the French New Wave, spawned a successful direct remake in the form of John Cromwell's Algiers and provided inspiration…

In Brief: Local interest runs high concerning writer-director Maggie Greenwald’s Songcatcher, owing to the fact that it was filmed around here. For that matter, parts of the film were made on the mountains not more than a few miles from where I’m writing this review. Thankfully, it turns out that Songcatcher is worth the fuss as…

In Brief: Better than most B-movies have any right to be, James Landis' The Sadist is a surprisingly powerful post-noir proto-slasher that was the first to deal with the twisted true story of Charlie Starkweather, a tale that would later be addressed by Terrence Malick in Badlands and Oliver Stone in Natural Born Killers. This film benefits greatly from a bizarre,…

The Story: The history of Iggy and The Stooges, as told by the surviving band members. The Lowdown: Director Jim Jarmusch turns his talents to the rockumentary, providing a fun and engaging exploration of a band he clearly loves.

The Story: Several women in rural Montana struggle to find meaning and purpose in their lives. The Lowdown: Writer-director Kelly Reichardt paints a vivid picture of the emotional experience of her protagonists in this series of loosely-related vignettes, but the stories don't seem to serve much of a purpose beyond their obvious beauty and affectiveness.

The Story: A young news anchor leads a life of desperation and depression, culminating in her dramatic on-air suicide. The Lowdown: A difficult film to watch — but rewarding nonetheless — Christine tackles a profoundly difficult subject adroitly but never quite surmounts the inherent difficulties of recounting this tragic true story.

The Story: "Symbologist" Robert Langdon returns to save the world from a man-made plague intended to thwart human overpopulation. The Lowdown: A painfully condescending pseudo-thriller pulled from the pages of yet another one of Dan Brown's abortive novels, Ron Howard continues to disappointingly beat the dead horse of The Da Vinci Code with predictable results.

In Brief: Widely considered — at least by those who consider such things — to be Dario Argento's best film, Deep Red (1975) is perhaps more of a gory (except that people all seem to bleed red paint) giallo than an outright horror film. One thing is certain — it makes more sense (in strictly…

In Brief: Ida Lupino is an underexamined icon of the proto-feminist cinema, and The Hitch-Hiker (1953) stands as a perfect case in point. Directed and co-written by Lupino, who was also an accomplished actress probably best remembered for her role opposite Humphrey Bogart in High Sierra (1941), The Hitch-Hiker is widely considered to be the first film noir helmed by a woman —…

In Brief: Gregory La Cava’s Gabriel Over the White House (1933) isn’t a particularly good movie, but as one of a handful of peculiarly pro-fascist movies floating around from that time, it takes the prize for the most alarming of the lot. Walter Huston stars as a shallow party-man politico (which party is never specified) who…

The Story: A bitter Swedish widower wants nothing more than to maintain order in his community and to join his wife in the afterlife, but the chaotic lives of those around him constantly interfere with his plans. The Lowdown: An expertly balanced confluence of black humor and heartwarming sentiment, A Man Called Ove delivers a touching message of acceptance without…

The Story: Two young men in a small French mountain town deal with the confusion and turmoil of newfound homoerotic feelings. The Lowdown: A moving and affective portrayal of the basic human need for connection and intimacy, Being 17 transcends the sexuality of its protagonists to deliver a universal message.

The Story: The daughter of a famous painter navigates her own artistic and personal growth in 19th century Japan. The Lowdown: A beautifully understated film, Miss Hokusai utilizes creative narrative conceits and exceptional animation to provide a unique insight into a little-known historical figure.

The Story: A widowed medium and her two daughters get more than they bargained for when they incorporate a Ouija board into their seance con. The Lowdown: Surprisingly solid spook cinema that won't disappoint those in need of a Halloween fright fix.

The Story: Tyler Perry’s recurring characters must babysit teenage Tiffany and prevent her from sneaking out of the house to attend a Halloween frat party. The Lowdown: Fairly predictable seasonal TV special stretched into a big-screen special for stereotypical middlebrow laughs.

The Story: Ex-military drifter Jack Reacher is back, but his plan for a hot date with an Army major he's never met goes awry when she's charged with treason and he's saddled with an unexpected paternity suit. The Lowdown: A painfully predictable and redundant revisitation of the Jack Reacher character that lacks the charm and off-kilter sensibility of…

The Story: A young girl flees a life of desperation and poverty to join a band of other disaffected teens selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door, a life she finds to be largely characterized by desperation and poverty. The Lowdown: Showcasing the worst proclivities of art house cinema, American Honey is a painfully overlong meditation on youthful irresponsibility that never…