M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Glass’ Doesn’t Recognize Its Own Strength
James McAvoy's impressive acting and fleeting moments of powerful imagery dazzle in M. Night Shyamalan's Glass, but that can't make up for the film's shattered second half.
film
Pawel Pawlikowski’s ‘Cold War’ Is a Lustrous, Slyly Subversive Melodrama
Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski's Cold War, a sweeping romance, is equally indebted to grand spectacle and the practical compromises of wartime Europe.
Through the Looking-Glass of Black Mirror’s ‘Bandersnatch’
Netflix's interactive movie, Bandersnatch, doesn't really offer choices, but it does offer something else: a warning.
The Animated ‘Batman: Mask of the Phantasm’ Is Still the Only Bat-Film That Gets It
Despite a long history of live action films with wildly varying tones, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is still the only theatrically released Bat-film to truly understand the character and how best to build a story around him.
‘Wasteland’, or, How We Went From World War I to White Walkers
In Wasteland: The Great War and the Origins of Modern Horror, historian W. Scott Poole exhumes our obsession with the living dead.
Hayao Miyazaki’s Films Help Us See Ourselves “with Eyes Unclouded”
Japanese Studies scholar Susan Napier's Miyazakiworld reveals an animation auteur with an urgent message to convey about our future -- and ourselves.
‘Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.’ Is a Studied but Incomplete Portrait of the Artist and Activist
The new documentary by Steven Loveridge, Matangi/Maya/M.I.A., is an imperfect homage to the talents of its star, albeit with brief moments of fascinating inquiry at its center.
‘Widows’ Is an Exquisitely Composed Feminist Heist Thriller
Who knew that one of film's greatest arbiters of misery, Steve McQueen, also had a fun side with his latest film, Widows?
‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’ Is an Honest, Empathetic Look at Big City Loneliness
In sneaky ways Can You Ever Forgive Me? works as a rallying cry for the dejected.
Robert Redford Weaponizes His Charm in ‘The Old Man and the Gun’
Robert Redford's swan song, The Old Man and the Gun, capitalizes on the charisma that has made him an enduring star for six decades.
‘The American President’ and the Aesthetics of Rising NeoLiberalism
In the prescient The American President, the president and his love interest push the liberal agenda while simultaneously living in the lap of luxury. Talk about having your cake and eating it, too.