“Hi, Mom” and “Mama”: Dedicated to Every Ordinary but Great Mother
In his short story collection “Puck of Pook’s Hill,” Rudyard Kipling said, “God could not be everywhere, and therefore he…
Reviews
Blast from The Not-So-Distant Past: Krystin Ver Linden’s “Alice”
Inspired by actual events, Krystin Ver Linden premiered her directorial debut, “Alice,” at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. The film…
New Year, New Queer: Am I OK?
Courtney Gardner reviews Tig Notaro’s directorial debut, “Am I OK?,” with a focus on how the friendship between Lucy (Dakota Johnson) and Jane (Sonoya Mizuno) changes after Lucy comes out in her thirties.
“The Green Knight”: A Beautiful Tale of Exercises in Futility
Based on the medieval poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” Director David Lowery retells the story of Gawain, the…
How “The Fallout” Does Mental Health Right
“The Fallout” (2021), Megan Park’s feature directorial debut, explores the emotional impact of a school shooting on high schoolers and…
Seeing Agnes: Chase Joynt Reframes an Iconic Folk Hero
“Framing Agnes” (2022), Chase Joynt’s directorial feature debut, offers the audience a critique of the media’s portrayal of transgender and gender-nonconforming communities. Joynt’s movie is the result of a collaborative process, one that was recognized by two NEXT awards at Sundance.
The New York Jewish Film Festival Jan. 12-25
Senior Film Critic Kurt Brokaw picks his virtual favorites from the 2022 New York Jewish Film Festival. Selections include documentaries on the history of a film about the Nuremburg Trials, artist Lily Renée Phillips, ehtnomusicologist Moisei Beregovsky, a musical about Bernie Madoff and a short about a bar mitzvah in the middle of an arial bombing.
Titane: Murder, Cars and Daddy Issues
“Titane” is a body-horror film through and through, but its commentary about sex and family is as central to the film as the gore.
Despite What You Might Have Heard, “Last Night in Soho” Fell Short
MaryGrace Depp reviews “Last Night in Soho,” directed by Edgar Wright, following how the film gets lost in a tangle of plot holes and twists, leaving you with more questions than answers.