ALINE

“This is an odd and unsettling film that despite its fundamental strangeness still somehow never manages to be all that interesting. Lemercier’s insane stunt is in the service of a by-the-numbers biopic that checks off all the important events in Celine Dion’s life – oops, I meant Aline Dieu’s – without having much of an angle on any of them.” – North Shore Movies, 04/07/2022

Comments Off on ALINE Posted in Reviews

ALL THE OLD KNIVES

“Pine is excellent as the lovelorn, regretful rogue, even if most of Metz’s direction seems to be for him and Newton to gaze at each other across the table as ‘sexfully’ as possible. It’s the kind of role you could see Redford playing 40 years ago in a movie that would’ve had a larger scale and a few more big twists. Still, this is a four-star film for turtleneck fetishists.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 04/07/2022

Comments Off on ALL THE OLD KNIVES Posted in Reviews

THE CONTRACTOR

“What began as a drama about the plight of our veterans veers off into nonsense. All the evocative details about post-military life in America are dumped in favor of improbable machine gun battles in bustling, European locales where henchmen can’t hit the side of a barn. It’s like if Coming Home suddenly shape-shifted into a Liam Neeson revenge picture.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 04/07/2022

Comments Off on THE CONTRACTOR Posted in Reviews

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

“You’re not going to find a film more aptly titled than Everything Everywhere All At Once. This madcap, maximalist opus from writer-directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert is an exhilarating, exhausting experience. Frantic, philosophical and seriously silly, it’s entirely too much of a movie about how the world can feel like entirely too much. Especially these days.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 03/31/2022

Comments Off on EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE Posted in Reviews

CHRIS ROCK: LIVE IN BOSTON AFTER THE SLAP HEARD ROUND THE WORLD

“Rock’s fury was focused on performative outrage and empty, politically correct gestures, spitting fire at corporations like Lululemon, which put up signs in their stores congratulating themselves for standing against racism while selling $100 yoga pants. Most folks, the comedian countered, would be fine with $20 yoga pants that said the n-word once in a while.” – Rolling Stone, 03/31/2022

Comments Off on CHRIS ROCK: LIVE IN BOSTON AFTER THE SLAP HEARD ROUND THE WORLD Posted in Features

WHY I’M NOT WATCHING THE OSCARS THIS YEAR

“The prevailing wisdom within the Academy seems to be that regular folks don’t care about these categories, because I guess boring stuff like editing, production design, original score and sound aren’t important aspects of the cinematic experience. Audiences will instead be indulged this year with new awards sourced on Twitter, of all godforsaken places.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 03/24/2022

Comments Off on WHY I’M NOT WATCHING THE OSCARS THIS YEAR Posted in Features

INFINITE STORM

“Szumowska takes a workmanlike approach to the survival sequences, for the most part trudging along through poor visibility, with Watts tripping over things once in a while or falling into holes. The film was shot in Slovenia, and area viewers will note with some amusement that the extensive exteriors bear not even a passing resemblance to the Granite State.” – North Shore Movies, 03/23/2022

Comments Off on INFINITE STORM Posted in Reviews

THE FILMS OF FLORA GOMES AT THE HFA

“The calendar kicks off welcoming writer-director Flora Gomes. The 72-year-old, Bissau-Guinean filmmaker studied in Cuba under the legendary Santiago Álvarez and worked as an assistant to French New Wave master Chris Marker, before returning to his homeland to make a series of powerful pictures confronting the legacy of Portuguese colonial rule.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 03/22/2022

Comments Off on THE FILMS OF FLORA GOMES AT THE HFA Posted in Features

THE RETURN OF THE BOSTON UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL

“The ‘annual sensory bacchanalia from beyond the mainstream’ is back at the Brattle Theatre, once again bringing the wildest, weirdest and most outré offerings to a loyal area audience with nerves (and stomachs) of steel. McControversy promises that ‘all the extreme isolation and paranoia of the past two years’ will be well-represented in the program.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 03/21/2022

Comments Off on THE RETURN OF THE BOSTON UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL Posted in Festivals

A BETTER WAY TO FIGHT A WAR: THE DIRTY DOZEN

“It’s a war movie for people disgusted by war, fed up with battlefield myths about valor and noble sacrifice. It’s about cheating and breaking bullshit rules and killing the enemy in cold blood because you can and because you have to. It’s a movie where death is ugly and everywhere and only the meanest, most irredeemable sons of bitches survive, if they’re lucky.” – Crooked Marquee, 03/18/2022

Comments Off on A BETTER WAY TO FIGHT A WAR: THE DIRTY DOZEN Posted in Features