Diminuendo: A Master Descends In ‘Tár’

Greatness isn’t what it used to be. For better and worse, the rules are different now, changing rapidly in the past few years after staying more or less the same for decades… maybe centuries? Cancellation has come to call on so many luminaries. Many, perhaps most, deserve to have their actions interrogated, but it’s rarely […]

The Tens: Best Of Film 2015

“Inspired by the true stories of daring women.”

‘Jobs’ & ‘Homes’: Politics, Technology & Economy In America’s Recent Past

Whether you’re a fan of former president George W. Bush or not, you have to admit his term contained some profound low points, kicking off with 9/11 and ending in a nasty recession. You may or may not blame Bush himself for these and other pieces of unfortunate Americana in the 21st century, but let’s […]

The Tens: Best Of Film 2004

(A “Then & Now” perspective.) Like my 2005 list, this Top Ten comes at you twenty strong, because that’s how I wrote it back in the day on my LiveJournal. And like last time, I’ll be adding my commentary about how the movies have held up 11 years later, because tastes change. Some of these […]

The Tens: Best Of Film 2006

Continuing my retroactive Top 10 lists, this one takes us back to 2006, originally published in my “Confessions of a Dangerous Film Student” column in INsite Boston.

Gone Girls: Ranking David Fincher’s Films From Least To Most Feminist

The secret is out. If you don’t know the main twist in Gone Girl by now, then I feel sorry for you, because you will undoubtedly be spoiled any minute now, given the level of buzz the film has received. (And definitely by me, if you keep reading.)

The Not-Oscars 2013

It’s the morning of the Oscar nominations, and I’m not upset. This is weird. All the films I wanted to see nominated for Best Picture are. All the actors I hoped to see receive nominations for this year’s performances were. Compare and contrast to last year’s fatal omission of Kathryn Bigelow as Best Director, or […]

Deep ‘Blue’: Woody Allen Dives Into The Recession

It’s a little glib to label the entire Woody Allen oeuvre “White People Problems,” but the man has often explored the neuroses of the reasonably well-to-do (and sometimes the very, very well-to-do). His films often feel cut off from the world as we know it; his characters exist in sealed-off realms that aren’t much affected […]

The Not-Oscars 2011

It’s that time of year again, folks! What I like to call “movie Christmas.” And like an actual holiday, the Academy Awards often end up as more of a disappointment than anything else — any Oscars handed out to not-so-great nominated films like Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and The Iron Lady can be chalked […]

The Tens: Best Of Film 2011

Is it me, or were 2011’s movies more united by theme this year than is usual? Nostalgia was the big one, with several titles capitalizing not just on our nostalgia of a past era, but of movies from a past era — from silent films to Spielberg blockbusters and everything in between. Films like The […]

‘Hanna’ Barbaric

From the Vault: Here is my review of Hanna, originally posted on my dear friend Austin’s Fabulous Apple blog. Now on DVD, and sure to rank very highly in my year-end list. Have at it: One word to describe the new film Hanna? This movie is gonzo.