The Patience Stone review: a woman’s place
A beautiful and haunting Afghan film about love, devotion, and a woman’s “duty”; a remarkable feminist story from the unlikeliest place on the planet.
reviews by genre
The Broken Circle Breakdown review: a mournful tune
Electric sexiness and very modern motifs overlie a wonderfully old-fashioned melodrama… a highly gratifying one, if you enjoy a good ol’ weep.
Out of the Furnace review: brothers in yawns
A pungent reek of testosterone stinks up this high-toned apologetic for vigilantism and revenge. Still: great performances! (new DVD/VOD US/Can)
Lee Daniels’ The Butler (aka The Butler) review: civil-rights servant
A deeply moving melodrama about a subtly subversive black butler at the heart of the White House. You will need Kleenex.
Short Term 12 review: life in the long term
A heartbreaking drama about the lingering affects of childhood abuse and neglect, even under the best of curative circumstances.
Drinking Buddies review: subtextual romance
A beautifully observed dramedy about modern friendship and romance; funny, poignant, unforgettable.
Particle Fever review: asking really big questions about the smallest possible things
A funny, exhilarating, suspenseful documentary about the Large Hadron Collider, and how physics is more akin to philosophy and art than you may have imagined.
Odd Thomas review: tonight, on a very special episode…
It feels smaller and more rushed — and less plausible — than it should, but Anton Yelchin is charming, and the snappy comic tone sometimes works.
Paranoia review: low anxiety
Offers nothing by way of suspense, intrigue, or characters who rise even a little bit above the yawningly bland.
The Art of the Steal review: steal from the best
One of the most fun heist movies ever, bursting with snappy humor and a twisty cleverness that knows that you know that you are getting conned, too…
