Movie Reviews

Judas and the Black Messiah tells the story of Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), who was killed by the police in a 1969 raid.

Arts

'Judas And The Black Messiah' Is A Tense Thriller About The Black Panther Party

11:26am February 12, 2021

by Justin Chang

A powerful new film focuses on the last year in the life of Fred Hampton, the chairman of the Black Panthers' Illinois chapter, who was only 21 when he was killed during a raid planned by the FBI.

Martine Chevallier and Barbara Sukowa play a lesbian couple facing a health crisis in the French film Two of Us.

Arts

These International Films Demonstrate The Power And Persistence Of Love

1:42pm February 05, 2021

by Justin Chang

Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time is a dizzying noir that never heads where you expect. Two of Us is a crafty thriller that touches on elder abuse and LGBT couples' rights.

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John David Washington and Zendaya star in Malcolm & Marie.

'Malcolm & Marie' Is Lost, Just Like Its Central Couple

10:42am February 05, 2021

by Aisha Harris

Euphoria's Sam Levinson and Zendaya re-team for this exhausting relationship drama, written and shot during the pandemic.

Denzel Washington and Rami Malek are an unlikely pair on the hunt for a serial killer in The Little Things.

Arts

'The Little Things' Is A Star-Studded, Old-School Serial Killer Thriller

6:06pm January 29, 2021

by Justin Chang

Set in the 1990s, this slickly made drama starring Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and Jared Leto may look like a retread, but it feels more like a weirdly enveloping trip down memory lane.

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Balram (Adarsh Gourav) is a young man struggling to escape poverty in The White Tiger.

Arts

In 'White Tiger,' A Dickensian Rags-To-Riches Story Turns Psychological Thriller

11:48am January 22, 2021

by Justin Chang

In this adaptation of Aravind Adiga's 2008 novel, a young man defies the odds by escaping poverty in a rapidly globalizing India. The White Tiger is a dark satire — with an eat-the-rich ethos.

Derek DelGaudio uses a little magic and a lot of storytelling to talk about identity in In & Of Itself.

Arts

'In & Of Itself' Is A Study Of Identity And Magic

5:00am January 22, 2021

by Linda Holmes

Derek DelGaudio's successful off-Broadway show has been given a marvelous film adaptation that captures the stage production's delicate and humane tone.

Spoor is a pulpy murder story that's also a utopian fable about feminism, social justice and ecology. The film, which was released in 2017, is newly available for streaming on The Brattle.

Arts

Polish Thriller 'Spoor' Is A Pulpy Murder Story — And A Utopian Fable

1:42pm January 20, 2021

by John Powers

Corpses pile up, but there are no human footsteps surrounding the dead bodies — only animal footprints. This strange, darkly funny film mixes feminism, social justice and ecology.

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Martin Luther King Jr. in Sam Pollard's MLK/FBI.

Arts

'MLK/FBI' Humanizes A Civil Rights Icon's Legacy

5:00am January 15, 2021

by Aisha Harris

Sam Pollard's documentary deftly examines the FBI's intense surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr. in the final years of his life.

Bee Gees Documentary Traces The Gibb Brothers' Pathway To Stardom

1:36pm January 14, 2021

by Ken Tucker

Of the three Bee Gees, only Barry Gibb is still alive. His new album is Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook Volume 1. The HBO documentary, The Bee Gees, tells the story of the group's rise.

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Cassie (Carey Mulligan) is a woman bent on revenge — until she meets nice guy Ryan (Bo Burnham) in Promising Young Woman.

Arts

'Promising Young Woman' And 'Pieces Of A Woman' Examine Trauma And Revenge

11:27am January 13, 2021

by Justin Chang

Two new films center on the lingering effects of trauma and tragedy. Carey Mulligan is woman bent on revenge in Promising Young Woman; Vanessa Kirby is a mother whose baby dies in Pieces of a Woman.