Review: “Asteroid City”

Asteroid City, population 87. You can stand in the middle of the highway that runs through it, turn 360 degrees, and absorb the town in its entirety. There’s the cozy roadside diner and neighboring auto shop. The motor court, with its orderly rows of neatly-appointed white cabins (except for Cabin #7, temporarily replaced by a […]

Review: “Black Widow”

Regardless of your feelings on the dominance of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on the film industry, it does feel like a signal of some normalcy returning seeing an MCU film in the movie theaters for the first time since 2019’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” which immediately followed the franchise’s massive “Avengers: Endgame.” But what makes […]

Throwback Review: “Hail, Caesar!”

There are two very different sides to the Coen Brothers’ body of work. One is the serious drama, the likes of “No Country for Old Men” or “Inside Llewyn Davis;” the other is the light-hearted farce, such as “Burn After Reading” or “Raising Arizona.” Their latest directorial effort, “Hail, Caesar!,” belongs in the latter category. “Hail, […]

Review: “Marriage Story”

4.5 out of 5 stars. Contrary to its title, writer and director Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” drops the viewer into the story of a marriage that it at its end. But even though we don’t see the couple at the heart of the story falling in love, we get a complete sense of what their […]

Review: “Jojo Rabbit”

4.5 out of 5 stars. When Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator” was released in 1940, Adolf Hitler was at the height of his power. Chaplin’s film, which he wrote, directed, and starred in (playing a duel role that included Adenoid Hynkel, a parody of Hitler), concludes with a passionate speech advocating for humanity. Despite the […]