Sundance Review: “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It”

Entertainer. EGOT winner. Activist. Role model. Legend. All of these words and more can be applied to Rita Moreno, the Puerto Rican performer who rose to fame in the waning years of the Hollywood studio system and continues to work consistently in film and television today. Her life and career, including her struggles to overcome […]

Sundance Review: “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street”

Last summer, “Sesame Street” was widely praised for a town hall it hosted on anti-racism as a means of explaining the protests for racial justice happening around the world in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by police officers to both children and adults. “Sesame Street,” the educational children’s television program that celebrated its 50th […]

Review: “Apollo 11: Quarantine”

In 2019, director Todd Douglas Miller reimagined what a documentary could be with “Apollo 11.” The film told the story of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission during which men first walked on the moon using only stunningly restored archival footage; no modern interviews or voiceovers, no recreations. In light of the current coronavirus pandemic, which […]

Review: “Standing Up, Falling Down”

Sometimes, a cast’s chemistry is the main thing driving a movie forward, and such is the case with “Standing Up, Falling Down,” a familiar story made memorable and entertaining by a sharp script and the lead performances from Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz. Directed by Matt Ratner, “Standing Up, Falling, Down” opens with Scott (Schwartz) […]

Review: “Kindred”

“Kindred” is a horror movie that isn’t scary in a very obvious way. Rather, there’s a feeling of unease that permeates the film and gets under your skin, staying there long after the credits roll. Director and co-writer Joe Marcantonio’s debut feature may draw comparisons to other films such as “Rosemary’s Baby,” but he takes […]

Review: “The Dissident”

On October 2, 2018, Washington Post journalist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and never left. Over two years later, Khashoggi’s loved ones are still seeking justice for his murder, a premeditated crime committed by Saudi officials—and largely believed to have been ordered by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin […]

Review: “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”

Imagine being faced with a medical crisis with no one to turn to for help. It’s a sad reality for so many Americans, and especially for women trying to obtain an abortion. Writer and director Eliza Hittman portrays this struggle in her devastating film “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” which follows Autumn Callahan (Sidney Flanigan), a […]

Streaming Movie Reviews: December, Part 3

Here’s the last round of my mini-reviews for December (coming to you almost halfway through January, I know I know). Read on for reviews of “The Midnight Sky,” “Safety,” “I’m Your Woman,” “We Can Be Heroes,” and “The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.” “THE MIDNIGHT SKY” (Netflix) There is little hope […]

Review: “The Mauritanian”

In 2016, Mohamedou Ould Salahi was released from Guantanamo Bay Prison after being held for 12 years on suspicion that he was involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but without having any actual charges filed against him. Now, Salahi’s story is brought to life in director Kevin Macdonald’s film “The Mauritanian,” based on Salahi’s memoir […]

Review: “The Croods: A New Age”

I’m not sure why I expected “The Croods: A New Age” to be at least a little bit more than, well, crude. It’s been a minute since I’ve seen its 2013 predecessor, but I do remember being pleasantly surprised by it. And there are some things to love in its new sequel, but it’s largely […]