Film Reviews & Insights
Bad Education (2020)
As a follow-up to Cory Finley’s feature debut “Thoroughbreds,” “Bad Education (2020)” represents a step forward for the young filmmaker since both sagas deal with issues of deception and trust, [...]
Beastie Boys Story
More memorial and a laugh-fest than a concert movie, this is a spirited chronicle of the memories and reflections from the Beastie Boys surviving members, Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz [...]
The King of Staten Island
A two-hour-plus summer comedy, Judd Apatow's “The King of Staten Island” is perhaps his sharpest and funniest film to date, while the film still holds the same flaws from his [...]
The Painted Bird
“The Painted Bird,” Václav Marhoul follow-up to his Czech adaptation of “The Red Badge of Courage ,” is another technically impressive literary rendition, this time around of accomplished novelist Jerzy [...]
First Cow
Unique in narrative structure, poetic in tone, evocative of American history, and substantial as a retelling of America's capitalistic nature and quest for prosperity, Kelly Reichardt's "First Cow" is nothing [...]
The Truth
The estranged mother-daughter movie is often explored in indie cinema (Recently: The exceptional "Miss Juneteenth.") Rare is the masterwork, like Bergman's "Autumn Sonata," that depicts a mother and daughter who [...]
Miss Juneteenth
Just when you thought filmmaking needed stronger and more diverse voices, both in Hollywood and indie cinema, along comes the perfect timing of "Miss Juneteenth", an enormously enjoyable celebration about [...]
Babyteeth
The first thing to be said about “Babyteeth” is that newcomer Shannon Murphy has crafted a very impressive feature film debut, after a decade of directing mostly TV shows and [...]
Da 5 Bloods
“Da 5 Bloods,” Spike Lee's follow-up to his Oscar adaptation of “BlacKkKlansman,” is another impassioned and timely rendition of the challenges of our modern era. Top-lined by Delroy Lindo, who [...]
Buffalo ’66 (Spotlight Review)
“We’re taking pictures for my parents… Do you understand that? We’re taking pictures like we’re a couple. Like, we like each other. Like, we’re husband and wife, and we span [...]
Essential Civil Rights Movies
The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution put an end to slavery and involuntary servitude in 1865, but it didn't put an end to social injustices and inequality. The recent [...]