The focused madness of Werner Herzog’s filmmaking obsession found its purest expression in his account of a European (Klaus Kinski) who hatches an elaborate scheme to bring grand opera to the backwaters of the early 20th-century Amazon. All he has to do is drag a steamship over a mountain. Animating feat aside, it remains one of more »
Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history. more »
In Mumbai, Nurse Prabha's routine is troubled when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a spot in the city to be intimate with her boyfriend. more »
Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled. more »
When Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading one of the world's most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope, he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of The Church. more »
A wondrous journey, through realms natural and mystical, Flow follows a courageous cat after his home is devastated by a great flood. Teaming up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog to navigate a boat in search of dry land, they must rely on trust, courage, and wits to survive the perils of a newly aquatic planet. From th more »
After two decades as one of the most beloved and enduring musicals on the stage, Wicked makes its long-awaited journey to the big screen as a spectacular, generation-defining two-part cinematic event this holiday season. more »
True story: Yours truly saw Disney’s quasi-Nordic animated juggernaut in the theater the Saturday afternoon of its opening weekend, and as soon as the end credits rolled, the little girl in the row behind us leapt to her feet to bellow along to “Let It Go”—she already knew the words. Such is the precision-tuned power of Disney. more »
Tim Burton followed up Batman, his boffo Hollywood breakout, with one of his most Tim Burton-y films ever—a tale of a childlike loner with Tim Burton hair and slashing blades for fingers, played by a rarely better Johnny Depp. All of the director’s quirks and tics work for him here in a harmony he would rarely find again. more »
Die Hard is famous for badass one-liners, but the reason the film remains so watchable is woven deep in the sharp script, credited to Hollywood pros Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. For one example, there’s a weird throwaway line in the very first scene from a character you never see again. Around 20 minutes in, it pays off. A more »
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger not only made their best film here, they set a new standard for cinematic art at the time. Moira Shearer plays the young ballet dancer torn between art (Anton Wallbrook’s imperious impresario) and love (Marius Goring). It’s a masterpiece by any standard, but if you’ve never seen “The Red Sho more »
The story of Claressa 'T-Rex' Shields, a boxer from Flint, Michigan who trained to become the first woman in her country's history to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport. more »
Martin Scorsese made better, more Important films, but he never made any more seductive than Goodfellas. That’s the point—his camera glides over the clothes and clubs and crimes so that it’s impossible to miss what Ray Liotta’s around-the-way kid and Lorraine Bracco’s mob wife see in them, until the whole thing collapses in lies more »
With all due respect to Casablanca, The Third Man makes it look like a soap opera. They’re remarkably similar in many respects—a wartime liminal zone, an attractive woman looking for transit papers, various nationals playing various sides against each other. But Carol Reed’s made a sardonic mystery with a noir-black core, not a more »
More than just a painter, Raphael was one of the most extraordinary artists of the Renaissance but is often misunderstood or mythologised. On the basis of this extraordinary exhibition in Rome, this film allows Raphael, for the first time, to be truly revealed. more »
Wherein Wes Anderson’s movies turned into Wes Anderson Films. Fortunately, the director was able to hire Gene Hackman for a vigorous pre-retirement turn as the Peter Pan patriarch of a New York clan straight out of the pages of yellowed old issues of The New Yorker, which is where Anderson copped it all in the first place. -Lee more »
There was once a time when newspaper columnists were powerful and feared hahaha. Burt Lancaster plays the Manhattan scribbler with the juice to make or break. Tony Curtis is the hustling press agent trying to curry favor and not lose his soul in the bargain. They battle it out with Clifford Odets’ zingy dialogue amid James Wong more »
Italian crime films from the ‘70s tend to overpromise and underdeliver, but not Caliber 9. Icy-eyed Gastone Moschin (The Conformist, The Godfather Part II) plays a hood fresh out of prison for swiping a pile of cash. The cops and his old cronies both want him to cough up his stash. Does he care? What do you think? RIYL tough guy more »
Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Colson Whitehead, Nickel Boys chronicles the powerful friendship between two young African American men navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida. more »
The quest for the Holy Grail has failed, and without a quest, King Arthur’s knights turn on each other. Lancelot (Luc Simon) is both their model and their shame, thanks to his affair with Queen Guinevere (Laura Duke Condominas), which makes him a target. Robert Bresson’s deadpan realism imbues fresh power to this oldest of tales more »
There’s been an spurt of nerd interest in arty Euro exploitation auteurs like Dario Argento and Walerian Borowcyzk, but props to Belgian dark-horse Harry Kümel for making the greatest nekkid-vampire film ever. Fassbinder diva Delphine Seyrig captivates as a mysterious countess who cozies up to a pair of hot honeymooners at an of more »
Ingrid and Martha were close friends in their youth, when they worked together at the same magazine. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation. more »
Jean-Pierre Melville’s final film distills his work to its essence. Weary cops (led by Alain Delon) chase calculating crooks who pull elaborate heists under gray skies and then take refuge with gorgeous women (Catherine Deneuve). The real-time heist at the center of the film is so elaborate that Melville had to stage part of it more »
On one hand, Harmony Korine’s debut feature is an indulgent fever dream that it would be easy to tar as arthouse slumming. On the other, it’s a deep dive into an America that cinema rarely sees or respects. Which is not to say that Korine isn’t trolling a bit here, but Gummo remains an indelible, even poetic screen experience. A more »
An journey into the life and art of Venice's famous view-painter, no artist better captures the essence and allure of Venice than Giovanni Antonio Canal, better known as Canaletto. more »
Pablo Picasso is one of the most famous names in art history, his image and his art are everywhere, yet few know the remarkable story of his rise to greatness. Young Picasso takes an in-depth look at the journey of Picasso’s life and traces his path to genius. more »
The Impressionists are the most popular group in art history - millions flock every year to marvel at their masterpieces. But, to begin with, they were scorned, penniless outsiders. 1874 was the year that changed everything. more »
The spectacular sculptures and paintings of Michelangelo seem so familiar to us, but what do we really know about this Renaissance giant? more »
