Ratchet & Clank movie review: wretched and junk
Could have been assembled entirely from clips from other movies — mostly the Star Wars prequels — and would have been better if it had been.
coming of age
The Brand New Testament (Le tout nouveau testament) movie review: the divine feminine
Hilarious satire about rebooting religion with a goddess in charge this time. A little bit Douglas Adams, a little bit Terry Gilliam, a whole lot irreverent.
The Jungle Book movie review: welcome to the jungle
Goes right up to the bleeding edge of cinema to tell a story that is strapping yet simple, and hugely appealing. Disney found a good reason to redo an old film.
Sold movie review: the life of a child sex slave
Brutal yet sensitively rendered, putting a human face, if a fictional one, on an issue that rarely gets one. Almost Dickens for the 21st century.
Jane Wants a Boyfriend movie rating: red light
Drama about a young woman with Asperger’s looking for love is stilted, forced, phony, emotionally implausible, and rather paternalistic and patronizing.
Dope movie review: not your typical high-school comedy
Not without its problems, but mostly a smart, engaging, bigotry-busting escapade with a hugely appealing young cast and an unflaggingly cheerful optimism.
The Boy and the Beast movie rating: yellow light
A few instances of gorgeous and magical imagery cannot make up for the lack of genuine emotion or a fresh story. Strictly for devoted anime fans.
Theeb movie review: a tiny slice of the Great War, through a child’s eyes
A gorgeous, cracking adventure with a smart ring of authenticity, full of pulpy twists and perils, and with a sweetly naive but gruffly charming young hero.
Mustang movie review: the “wife factory”
Smart, perceptive, keenly observant, heartbreaking: how the world crushes girls and turns lively people into automatons merely because they are female.
Oscar Nominated Live-Action Shorts (88th Academy Awards) review
“Day One” is a wartime drama the likes of which we have not seen before, with a marvelous Layla Alizada as an interpreter with U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
