“This year’s opening night belongs to Lady Bird, the solo directorial debut of actress Greta Gerwig. It’s a sort of homecoming, as Gerwig has been an IFFBoston staple for as long as she’s been onscreen. Her debut feature LOL played here back in 2006, followed by her first lead performance in Hannah Takes the Stairs the following year.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 10/20/2017
MARSHALL * * *
Starring Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Sterling K. Brown, Kate Hudson and James Cromwell. Screenplay by Jacob Koskoff and Michael Koskoff. Directed by Reginald Hudlin.
“A modern day Our Gang set in a tacky welfare motel on the outskirts of Orlando, this boisterously funny heartbreaker follows three little rascals making mischief and wreaking havoc during a poverty-stricken summer in the shadow of the happiest place on Earth. I laughed and I laughed until all of the sudden I couldn’t stop crying.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 10/12/2017
“There are enough acerbic one-liners for at least two movies, but it’s the inarticulate Sandler who supplies the soul. Every seven years or so this extraordinarily lazy performer reminds us of his immense talent, here slouching through the picture in cargo shorts, forcing smiles under a cloud. When the zingers land he makes you feel where they hit.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 10/11/2017
“The pleasure is in watching the straightforward, unfussy performances by two seasoned pros who know better than to push too hard. A beauty of a scene finds Fonda silently unbuckling her seatbelt and sliding over to lean on Redford’s shoulder as he drives, their wonderfully weathered faces saying more than these characters ever could put into words.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 10/11/2017
“Flanagan doesn’t leave any room for dread, gussying up the proceedings with constant visits from chatty ghosts and other apparitions along with frequent flashbacks. Gerald’s Game is too full of busywork to ever get around to dramatizing the horror of being trapped, helpless and alone, which I thought was supposed to be the whole point.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 10/11/2017
“A historical tragedy viewed from four feet off the ground by a character who doesn’t quite grasp what’s happening. We’re thrown into volatile situations that are only half-understood, freed from the overarching historical baggage we can’t help but bring to so many war movies, left instead to simply feel this one on a moment-to-moment basis.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 10/11/2017
