Movie Reviews

She's With The Headband: Annie (Rose Byrne) and reclusive singer-songwriter Tucker (Ethan Hawke) share a moment in Juliet, Naked.

Arts

An Aging Rocker, A Fawning Fanboy — And Thou: 'Juliet, Naked'

5:01pm August 16, 2018

by Mark Jenkins

In this beguiling, decidedly un-frothy adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel, Annie (Rose Byrne) exchanges emails with a singer-songwriter (Ethan Hawke) her inattentive boyfriend (Chris O'Dowd) reveres.

CIA officer James Silva (Mark Wahlberg) escorts Li Noor (Iko Uwais) in Mile 22.

Arts

Muddled Action Thriller 'Mile 22' Should Have Pulled Off At Mile 3 Or So

5:01pm August 16, 2018

by Chris Klimek

Mark Wahlberg plays a CIA operative trying to extricate a mysterious informant (Iko Uwais) from a fictional country in this disjointed film that underuses Uwais and overuses Wahlberg.

L to R: Jonah (Evan Rosado) draws while Ma (Sheila Vand) and Paps (Raul Castillo) drowse, in We the Animals.

Arts

When The Wild Rumpus Stops: 'We The Animals'

5:00pm August 16, 2018

by Bob Mondello

Documentarian Jeremiah Zagar's first feature film adapts Justin Torres' impressionistic autobiographical novel of boyhood; the dreamlike result is "intense, scary and ecstatically lyrical."

Arts

Satire, Soap Opera, Duty, Devotion: 'Crazy Rich Asians' Is A Movie Milestone

1:59pm August 15, 2018

by Justin Chang

The romantic comedy based on Kevin Kwan's 2013 novel has been saddled with cultural and commercial expectations. Critic Justin Chang was happy to find the film doesn't collapse under the weight.

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Detective Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) goes undercover, brother, in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman.

Arts

'BlacKkKlansman' Entertains, But Falls Short Of Lee's Best

5:00am August 13, 2018

by Justin Richmond

It's being hailed as Spike Lee's best film in years, but NPR's Justin Richmond says BlacKkKlansman breezes over its main character's inner conflicts and lets polemics get in the way of storytelling.

'Madeline's Madeline' Toys With Viewer's Perception Every Step Of The Way

4:18pm August 10, 2018

by Bob Mondello

In the film Madeline's Madeline, a teen acting student finds herself living the part she thought she was playing.

Arts

'BlacKkKlansman' Is A Blisteringly Funny, Urgent Story Of Race And Identity

2:29pm August 10, 2018

by Justin Chang

In 1979, a black police officer named Ron Stallworth successfully infiltrated a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. Director Spike Lee presents his story with humor and honesty in BlacKkKlansman.

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Ron (John David Washington) and Patrice (Laura Harrier) strike power poses in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman.

Arts

Spike Lee Checks Under The Hood In The Blistering 'BlacKkKlansman'

9:00pm August 09, 2018

by Bob Mondello

Critic Bob Mondello calls Spike Lee's latest, about a black cop who infiltrates the Klan in the '70s, "his most ferociously entertaining (and just plain ferocious) film in years."

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Madeline (Helena Howard, L) and Evangeline (Molly Parker, R) share a moment in Madeline's Madeline.

Arts

'Madeline's Madeline': In This Acting Class, Dreams, Darkness and Dance Come Together

5:01pm August 09, 2018

by Andrew Lapin

A teenaged girl's acting class intersects with her home life in bracing, and not entirely healthy ways, in Josephine Decker's intimate, audacious and wildly experimental film.

Dax (Adam Pally) and friend/comforter in Dog Days.

Arts

'Dog Days' Is Shaggy But Lovable

5:00pm August 09, 2018

by Scott Tobias

Ken Marino directs this conventional if disjointed ensemble rom-com about disparate Los Angeles dog owners. The film finds its legs whenever it leans into its alt-comedy cast and cameos.