Movie Reviews

Anne Hathaway is the Grand High Witch in the film adaptation of Roald Dahl's The Witches.

Arts

Unimaginative 'Witches' Retread Lacks The Magic Of Roald Dahl's Classic

3:27pm October 23, 2020

by Justin Chang

Though Anne Hathaway throws herself into the role of the Grand High Witch with obvious relish, she often seems to be straining for effect — which leaves The Witches feeling flat.

Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm' Reviewed

6:37pm October 22, 2020

by Bob Mondello

Sacha Baron Cohen's outrageous character from Kazakhstan, Borat, is back in a film that's making political headlines. Amazon Prime is set to stream the Borat sequel starting Friday.

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Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas) is forbidding, foreboding and fierce — easily the best thing about Netflix's Rebecca remake.

Arts

A Flat 'Rebecca' Remake For Netflix Is Haunted By The Ghost Of Hitchcock

5:01am October 21, 2020

by Glen Weldon

Netflix's adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's swooning gothic novel strips it of subtext — and sex — and tacks on a ending that misunderstands the "romance" at its center.

After he meets Elena (Jessica Cressy), Martin Eden (Luca Marinelli) becomes determined to rise above his lowly circumstances and prove himself worthy of her love.

Arts

This Sumptuous Retelling Of 'Martin Eden' Stays True To Jack London's Novel

10:54am October 19, 2020

by Justin Chang

An uneducated sailor falls in love and finds fame as a writer — only to become disillusioned by his own success. It's an intensely political work, which London wrote as a rejection of individualism.

HBO To Present Adaptation Of Broadway Hit 'David Byrne's American Utopia'

4:07pm October 16, 2020

by Eric Deggans

HBO will premiere on Saturday David Byrne's American Utopia, Spike Lee's adaptation of the hit Broadway show. It might be one of the best concert movies since Stop Making Sense more than 30 years ago.

'The Trial Of The Chicago 7' Is Passionate, Political — And Uncannily Pertinent

1:28pm October 15, 2020

by David Bianculli

Based on a trial from 1969, Aaron Sorkin's new Netflix film draws from actual transcripts — as well as a series of flashbacks to political unrest that took place in Chicago in the summer of 1968.

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HBO's David Byrne's American Utopia captures a live performance of Byrne's acclaimed Broadway show.

Arts

David Byrne And Spike Lee Conjure Up A Joyous Vision Of 'American Utopia'

2:52pm October 13, 2020

by John Powers

Lee's new film for HBO captures a live performance of Byrne's acclaimed Broadway show. David Byrne's American Utopia is a rousing blend of song, dance and revival meeting.

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Totally Under Control examines the Trump administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Arts

'Totally Under Control' And 'Time' Are Two Very 2020 Documentaries

11:17am October 09, 2020

by Justin Chang

Two new movies reflect on the passage of time. One is an up-to-the-minute account of the Trump administration's response to COVID-19. The other follows a family impacted by long-term incarceration.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest ... you know what, never mind. I'm good." Michael (Jim Parsons) and Donald (Matt Bomer) in The Boys in the Band.

Arts

'The Boys In The Band': Raging Gracefully

5:02pm September 30, 2020

by Glen Weldon

Netflix's adaptation of Mart Crowley's 1968 play about a gay birthday party that goes off the rails features hard liquor, sharp tongues and broad types.

Filmmaker Radha Blank stars as a fictionalized version of herself in The Forty-Year-Old Version. The film, which began as a Web series, was inspired by Blank's own experience as a playwright and rapper in Harlem.

Arts

'The Forty-Year-Old Version' Is Fast, Funny, Multi-Faceted And No Small Feat

11:27am September 30, 2020

by Justin Chang

Radha Blank plays a fictionalized version of herself — a struggling artist from Harlem, who was hailed years earlier as a promising playwright. The film is gorgeously shot in black-and-white.