Our demanding critics choose the best films (along with some disappointments) of the year.
Gerald Peary
Film Review: “West Side Story” — An Unnecessary Remake
Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story is fairly entertaining, fairly decent, but that’s about it.
Film Review: “Bergman Island” — Isle of Frustration
Bergman Island is a curious, intelligent film that suffers from a disappointing breakdown.
October Short Fuses – Materia Critica
Each month, our arts critics — music, book, theater, dance, and visual arts — fire off a few brief reviews.
Film Commentary: Dorothy Davenport — Neglected American Female Cineaste
The Road to Ruin is a practically unknown film begging for discovery, and to be championed as a startling example of pre-Code cinema. And as a keystone for creating a directorial reputation for “Mrs. Wallace Reid.”
June Short Fuses – Materia Critica
Each month, our arts critics — music, book, theater, dance, and visual arts — fire off a few brief reviews.
April Short Fuses – Materia Critica
Each month, our arts critics — music, book, theater, dance, and visual arts — fire off a few brief reviews.
Arts Feature: Best Movies (With Some Disappointments) of 2020
Our demanding critics choose the best films (along with some disappointments) of the year.
Film Review: Movies to Watch While Sheltering in Place, Waiting-for-the-Vaccine Edition — Stir-Crazy 13
Some great old films to watch while you count the days for your anti-COVID injection!
Film Review: “The Rabbi Goes West” — Jews Coddled in Big Sky Country
This is a film for another moment in time, an imaginary if not necessarily utopian moment when being Jewish is less roiled and bedeviled from within and without.