On the banks of the Thames, in the unchartered realm of the spiegel tent, lurk a troupe of performance aficionados, ready to send shudders through the Udderbelly. Led by cabaret … Read More
Movie Review: Brothers Separated as Babies are “Three Identical Strangers”
The manic joy and deep sadness of Three Identical Strangers reunited as teenagers. Director Tim Wardle’s new documentary Three Identical Strangers reminded me slightly of Eugene Jarecki’s standout doc from 2003, Capturing the … Read More
Movie review: Mr. Rogers doc “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is the year’s first great tearjerker. The new documentary about TV’s Mister Rogers, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is a love story, but not in the traditional sense. … Read More
Movie review: “Summer 1993” is a miraculous debut
Don’t watch the trailer for Carla Simón’s Summer 1993 (Estiu 1993). Simón’s autobiographical first feature is the kind of low-key character study that is impossible to market and, in excerpts, it can … Read More
Movie review: James McAvoy and Alicia Vikander can’t float “Submergence”
An old tried-and-true rule that carries over from the days of VHS rental stores is that if you come across a movie that you have never heard of, but the … Read More
Movie review: Joaquin Phoenix in “You Were Never Really Here”
Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here is a film about violence — and it’s quite brutal in its way — but very little of that violence is shown. Instead, Ramsay … Read More
Revisit your favorite IPs in “Ready Player One”? How ‘Bout No?
The Ernest Cline book Ready Player One is a story by a pop culture fanboy for pop culture fanboys. It’s full of signifiers and not-very-deep references that make young Gen … Read More
Movie Review: Soderbergh psychodrama makes Claire Foy go “Unsane”
Director Steven Soderbergh’s post-“retirement” career is kicking into high gear, with the release of his third project in roughly seven months. Like the feature film Logan Lucky and the interactive serial … Read More
Be Prepared showing at The Vaults Theatre ****
Most of the subjects we consider taboo are so because they are niche; abnormal and therefore unrelatable. Yet to my mind, the biggest cultural taboo is the one inevitable human … Read More
Movie Review: The Cloverfield Paradox
In an unprecedented move (after numerous reports of the film being delayed until October 2018), a teaser during the Super Bowl indicated that The Cloverfield Paradox, the third entry to … Read More
Movie Review: Golden Globe winner “In the Fade” examines grief and revenge
In the Fade, the latest winner of the Golden Globe award for Best Foreign Language Film, is the kind of flick that benefits from not knowing much about it, going in. It’s … Read More
Movie Review: The Last Jedi (With No Spoilers!)
The Last Jedi, the eighth installment in the world-renowned Star Wars franchise, opens world wide on 15 December, 2017. I was able to see an early show, and can deliver … Read More
Movie Review: “I, Tonya” a Harrowing and Giddy Crowd Pleaser
It’s been a few days since I watched I, Tonya, and I’ve been talking it up, to whomever will listen, ever since. Some of these listeners ask me, “Well, is it … Read More
Movie Review: Woody Allen’s “Wonder Wheel” offers no revelations
Woody Allen’s new film Wonder Wheel is being released this weekend in select cities. What is the point of reviewing a Woody Allen film in 2017? By now, the majority … Read More