1. Moonlight Directed by Barry Jenkins “Who is you, Chiron?” The protagonist of Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight is asked this directly toward the end of the film, and it’s the culmination of a film-long search. We seeRead Full Review
Month: December 2016
20th Century Women ★★★½
The protagonist of 20th Century Women is a teenage boy who’s trying really hard to understand women. He calls himself a feminist at one point, and makes a point to let women know of his awarenessRead Full Review
Best Films of 2016: Honorable Mention
25. The Light Between Oceans, dir. Derek Cianfrance This long, rambling ode to high-octane melodrama finds its way through tearful monologues to create a kind of lyricism. Performances from Alicia Vikander (a career-best, I’d say)Read Full Review
Fences ★★½
There are few actors more fun than Denzel Washington when actively engaged. He’s one of our greatest movie stars, a true legend, an actor who’s skill and authority is rarely rivaled. It’s hard for WashingtonRead Full Review
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ★★★
The Star Wars stories have always had a root in political upheaval, but George Lucas never really had the knowledge or the bravery to really portray what an actual political revolution would look like. The filmsRead Full Review
La La Land ★★★★
Consider the passion in a film like La La Land. It’s a film that is passionate about a great many things – music, cinema, love, heartbreak, Los Angeles, to name a few. It carries its passionRead Full Review
Things To Come ★★★
This is my introduction to the young French filmmaker Mia Hansen-Løve, and I must admit the introduction was made possible by Isabelle Huppert. Huppert, one of our greatest living screen actors, is such a splendid, brilliantRead Full Review
Jackie ★★
The JFK assassination is such a ferocious seam within the fabric of American mythology. His death, captured on television for the world to see, revealed a first-hand barbarity that most people weren’t used to outsideRead Full Review
Moana ★★★
Disney veterans Ron Clements and John Musker are masters at the kind of low-stakes sweet spot that most family films aim for. Their films are sweet, deceptively intelligent and filled with the kind of good-heartednessRead Full Review