Film

Book Review: “But God Made Him a Poet: John Ford” — An Essential Book on a World-Class American Director

May 18, 2023
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What makes Scout Tafoya’s book a radical departure from earlier studies is his in-your-face challenges to John Ford’s character and his racial politics.

Film Reviews: “Huesera: The Bone Woman” and “The Starling Girl” — Unorthodox Appeals

May 17, 2023
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Both debut features by young women directors open with prayers.

Film Review: “Master Gardener” — White Knight to the Rescue

May 17, 2023
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Master Gardener is more Pinterest mood board than story.

Film Series Review: “Late Kiarostami” — Spotlighting the Works of a Master Iranian Filmmaker

May 12, 2023
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This not-quite-full retrospective contains three masterpieces of Iranian cinema: Close-Up, Taste of Cherry and The Wind Will Carry Us.

Film Review: “Out and About” — An Important Return to Filmmaking

May 7, 2023
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Indie films of worth made by people with talent are falling into the cracks, and that’s sadly the fate of Out and About, a smart, beautifully shot and acted movie by Peter Callahan.

DocTalk: Five Documentaries Probe the Past at The National Center for Jewish Film’s Annual Festival

May 7, 2023
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Four features and one short that explore aspects of Jewish history from its impact on the earliest origins of the United States to the ongoing struggles of the state of Israel.

Film Review: “The Taking” — Appropriating Monument Valley?

May 5, 2023
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Most of this documentary is so beautiful the temptation is to switch off the preachy, didactic soundtrack and just watch and watch.

Film Review: Cristian Mungiu’s R.M.N. — Baiting the Beast Within

May 5, 2023
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The Romanian director has crafted a grueling fable about hate, lies, and misinformation in a small Transylvanian town.

Film Review: “Godland” — A Near-Masterpiece from Iceland

May 5, 2023
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This gaunt historical narrative examines “love and faith and the fear of God” while also taking on issues of colonialism and masculinity. For the most part, the grand scheme is pulled off.

Film Review: “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” — Payback’s a Bitch

April 29, 2023
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Armed with a quarter of a billion dollars from the people who chucked him to the MAGA wolves, director James Gunn has created one of the most mean-spirited and nasty movies to have come down the pike since Straw Dogs.

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