Lilting movie review: when words fail
A heartbreakingly lovely film about the seemingly insurmountable distances between us when sharing grief is too painful.
drama
Around the Block movie review: to teach, perchance to inspire
Appealing performances, a few tweaks to genre clichés, and a sincere desire to counter outrageous racism go a long way toward making this worth a look.
A Promise movie review: the waiting is the hardest part
This dreary, drippy period romance is sorely lacking in juicy melodrama and some sizzle among supposed stifled lovebirds.
Step Up 5: All In (aka Step Up All In) movie review: dance fever
A series of amazing music videos featuring astonishingly athletic dancers expressing crazy-hot modern choreography strung together by a flimsy narrative. Kinda like old-school Hollywood musicals were.
Yves Saint Laurent movie review: underdressed
This biopic of “fashion’s little prince” offers all the elegant precision of a fashion shoot — it’s beautiful, and cold — but lacks a lot of necessary context.
Very Good Girls movie review: sex negative
An almost complete waste of a talented cast, and all to, apparently, convince teenaged girls that sex isn’t worth the hassle. Say what?
Begin Again movie review: up tempo
A hugely satisfying ode to entrepreneurial creativity, and a glorious love letter to New York City and the art it inspires. I love this movie so much.
Happy Christmas movie review: can’t choose your family
Compulsively watchable. Joe Swanberg is a master of subtle dramatic observation, and his films are unlike anything other filmmakers are giving us right now.
The Purge: Anarchy movie review: standing up to power and privilege
Doubles down on the first film’s angry approach to inequality and violence, and again reflects an image of America that is ugly but only slightly distorted.
Grand Central movie rating: yellow light
French drama about nuclear workers is riveting when it focuses on the dangers of the job, less so when it devolves into a sexy working-class soap opera.
