'I Do ... Until I Don't' Doesn't Quite Work ... Until It Does
Lake Bell's follow-up to 2013's In a World ... lacks that film's focus and drive but finds itself in the final act, once its pacing grows "agreeably manic."
Movie Reviews
'Viceroy's House': A Warm-Hearted Look At The Sunset Of The British Empire
Directed and co-written by Gurinder Chadha (who also directed and co-wrote Bend it Like Beckham) this crowd-pleasing, gently revisionist period drama examines the last days of British colonial rule.
A Closeted Teen Struggles To Maintain His Double Life In 'Beach Rats'
NPR movie critic Bob Mondello reviews Beach Rats, which follows a teenager in Brooklyn who is having a lousy summer. The film won the best directing prize at Sundance earlier this year.
A Dancer Spins From Classical Ballet To Modern Dance In 'Polina'
Once it trades rote ballerina-training cliches for ecstatically shot sequences of hip-hop choreography, this French film, like its main character, comes alive.
'Beach Rats': A Young Man On A Collision Course With Himself
In this closely observed drama about a Brooklyn teen whose sexuality conflicts with his sense of self, writer/director Eliza Hittman makes us feel the social pressures working on him.
In 'The Villainness,' Revenge Is A Dish Served Stylishly
This baroque Korean revenge thriller borrows heavily from similarly themed films, but features great performances and employs a purely visual story-logic that sets it apart.
Netflix's 'Death Note' Should Be Returned To Sender
Based on a hugely popular Japanese manga (and anime, and live-action film series), this rushed and sloppy U.S. production Anglicizes the faces, but not the names.
A Coney Island Teen Struggles To Come To Terms With His Sexuality In 'Beach Rats'
Eliza Hittman's second film focuses on a repressed gay teenager living in a culture of intense sexual exhibitionism. Critic David Edelstein calls Beach Rats "feverish and gripping."
Haunting 'Marjorie Prime' Is Suffused With Forgiveness And Despair
The new film is set in the near future, when people can purchase holographic versions of their dead loved ones. This drama isn't about technology — it's sci-fi as a means of exploring our inner lives.
High Spirited 'Patti Cake$' Dresses Its Cinderella Story In Dirty Jersey Drag
A hard-working aspiring rapper rises above her dead-end existence with the help of some supportive friends and her own irrepressible talent. Critic Justin Change says Patti Cake$ is irresistible.