
THE GREAT WALL * * *
Starring Matt Damon, Tian Jing, Pedro Pascal, Andy Lau and Willem Dafoe. Screenplay by Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro and Tony Gilroy. Directed by Zhang Yimou.

THE GREAT WALL * * *
Starring Matt Damon, Tian Jing, Pedro Pascal, Andy Lau and Willem Dafoe. Screenplay by Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro and Tony Gilroy. Directed by Zhang Yimou.

“The Crow was one of the first American movies to incorporate the balletic, martial arts-inspired gunplay that was all the rage in Hong Kong cinema. This intricately choreographed, trigger-happy style has recently been revived in the John Wick films — whose director, Chad Stahelski, just so happened to work as Brandon Lee’s stunt double on The Crow.” – Metro, 02/17/2017

“The scenes themselves luxuriantly stretch out before you. Director Maren Ade favors unobtrusive camerawork and doesn’t punch up the jokes with excessive cutting or music cues, leaving the audience to find our own bearings in awkward social situations whenever the odd man with the funny hair and fake teeth wanders into frame.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 02/16/2017

FIFTY SHADES DARKER * 1 / 2
Starring Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Eric Johnson, Marcia Gay Harden and Kim Basinger. Screenplay by Niall Leonard. Directed by James Foley.

“Seeing Casablanca with a big crowd is a reminder of just how *funny* the movie is, stuffed with sardonic one-liners and some of the best put-downs in cinema history. Sure, Ingrid Bergman is stunning, but we’ve always thought Bogie has even better chemistry with Claude Rains’ cheerfully corrupt prefect of police. Theirs is indeed a beautiful friendship.” – Metro, 02/10/2017

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 * * * 1 / 2
Starring Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Common, Lance Reddick and Laurence Fishburne. Screenplay by Derek Kolstad. Directed by Chad Stahelski.

“Postcards makes room for scene-stealing supporting turns by a randy Dennis Quaid and Gene Hackman as the voice of Fisher’s hard-won wisdom. Hackman’s stirring, late-movie monologue sums up a career in Tinseltown’s trenches and gutters. It’s the moment when this sometimes-too-slick commercial entertainment gets refreshingly real.” – The Village Voice, 02/07/2017

THE COMEDIAN * * 1 / 2
Starring Robert De Niro, Leslie Mann, Edie Falco, Danny DeVito and Harvey Keitel. Screenplay by Art Linson, Jeff Ross, Richard LaGravenese and Lewis Friedman. Directed by Taylor Hackford.

“Ferrara’s movies have a way of being morally serious despite their sometimes silly genre trappings, and Ms. 45 provides a feast for feminist studies. The intensely Catholic filmmaker outfits her in a nun’s habit and garter belts for the final massacre, and it’s no coincidence that she’s betrayed by a female friend holding a phallic-looking knife at crotch level.” – Metro, 02/03/2017

“I can’t believe I made a movie that short,” cackled Quentin Tarantino following the 25th Anniversary Screening of Reservoir Dogs at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Returning to Park City a quarter-century after the premiere that launched his career, Tarantino was joined by co-star Michael Madsen and producer Lawrence Bender for a predictably boisterous Q&A. Some edited highlights: