I’m Still Here: Desaparecido
Now that the Emilia Pérez Oscar campaign has turned into a tire fire, the foreign film to watch in the Oscar race is probably...
Detective Chinatown: Colors of the West
Wonders never cease in this job. I found a movie that celebrates the best of America, and it’s a Chinese film. Detective Chinatown 1900...
Seed of the Sacred Fig: A Movie in Secret
Mohammad Rasoulof is now an exile because he made The Seed of the Sacred Fig. The Iranian director was the talk of the Cannes...
The Best Lead Performances of 2024
I’m afraid I owe this column to the L.A. wildfires, which put off the announcement of the Oscar nominations and gave me some extra...
Hard Truths: Diary of a Mad Black Woman
In Hard Truths, Pansy Deacon (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) is checking out of a supermarket in suburban London when she suddenly attacks the cashier (Ashna Rabheru):...
Grand Theft Hamlet: Player Kings
I just ran my list of the best documentary films of last year, and while Grand Theft Hamlet arrives too late to merit consideration...
Brutalist: Big Blocks
Of all the Oscar contenders in play this awards season, The Brutalist is unquestionably the longest. We’re talking three hours and 35 minutes, which...
The Best Supporting Performances of 2024
I’m trying something different this year. The end of this article contains a mention of movies with terrific ensemble casts. I think that’s worth...
Better Man: Hey Hey, It’s the Monkey!
“What’s with the monkey?” asks Robbie Williams in the trailer of Better Man, a movie based on his life. The film is in many...
The Best Filmmaking Debuts of 2024
Need hope for the upcoming year? Writing up this feature always gives me that, as I look forward to the movies these first-time directors...
