Film
An Encounter With Simone Weil: Remembering the Late French Philosopher
In the abbreviated life of French philosopher and sociopolitical activist Simone Weil (1909–1943), the daughter of agnostic Jews…
Aaron Hillis
Film
Safe: Oh, Jason Statham, Won’t You Remove Your Shirt?
The pulpy scenarios change, but squinty action hero Jason Statham remains chiseled, coiled, and ready to hurl himself…
Film
The Fairy: Romantic Buffoonery in Le Havre
Since their irresistibly madcap 2005 debut Iceberg, Belgium-based filmmakers, actors, and former clowns Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon, and…
Film
Gerhard Richter Painting: A Profile of the Great German Artist
Countless documentaries have feebly attempted to probe and illuminate the creative process (the phrase “dancing about architecture” springs…
Film
The Secret World of Arrietty: The Borrowers Becomes a Japanese Anime
Although Japanese animation virtuoso Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) serves only on the periphery as co-writer and production supervisor,…
Film
Urbanized: Part Three of Gary Hustwit’s Design Trilogy
A micro-to-macro expansion of, and logical conclusion to, Gary Hustwit’s elegantly compelling, design-in-the-everyday doc trilogy (which investigated the…
Film
I Melt With You: A Lost Weekend With Jeremy Piven
Insincere and superficially nihilistic, Mark Pellington’s swaggering, midlife-crisis melodrama—about a soulless quartet of asshole college buds you’d never…
Film
The Man Nobody Knew: Secrets and Lies in Washington, D.C.
With a chewy title to tip us off, director Carl Colby’s compelling and tricky portrait of his late…
Film
Granito: How to Nail a Dictator: Not Every Documentary Demands a Sequel
In 1982, documentary filmmaker Pamela Yates traveled to Guatemala to capture both sides of the then-raging civil war,…
Film
A Little Help: Jenna Fischer Is Trapped on Long Island
“Suburban malaise,” they call it, and it’s the reason why Long Island dental hygienist Laura (Jenna Fischer) self-soothes…
Film
Soul Surfer: The Upside of Losing Your Arm
Adapted from the memoir-ized 2003 tragedy-to-triumph of Hawaiian teen surfer Bethany Hamilton—who famously returned to her board a…
Film
Source Code: Jake Gyllenhaal in a Solid Sci-Fi Movie
Moon director Duncan Jones’ pseudo-cerebral, modestly budgeted sci-fi thriller is a propulsive ride worth your popcorn dollar, not…
Film
Tibet in Song: The Musical Resistance to Chinese Rule
Raised as an exile in India, Tibetan ethnomusicologist and first-time filmmaker Ngawang Choephel returned to his homeland as…
Film
Wah Do Dem: Hey, Hipsters, Get Out of Jamaica!
A couple of days before cashing in on a free Caribbean cruise for two, dorky Brooklyn hipster Max…
Film
The Concert: Embarrassing Fiddle Twaddle From Russia
Beyond fans of Mélanie Laurent—who furiously fingers a fiddle and wears flashback wigs—The Concert may appeal to those…
Film
Charlie St. Cloud: Zac Efron Pulls Our Heartstrings
In a go-nowhere Pacific Northwest town, dreamy high-school sailor Charlie (played mostly by Zac Efron’s abs and piercing…
Film
Soundtrack for a Revolution: Rebel Musicians in the 60s
If you don’t already know the history of the American civil-rights movement (seriously?), of how everyday folks became…
Film
Fresh: Preaching to the Food-Fearing Choir
No die-hard foodie would, in their right mind, argue any of the points made in Ana Sofia Joanes’…
Film
Exit Through the Gift Shop: Half a Glimpse of Guerrilla Artist Banksy
This is not just the definitive portrait of street-art counterculture, but also a hilarious exposé of the gullibility…
Film
The Messenger: An Oscar Shot for Woody Harrelson?
I’m Not There screenwriter Oren Moverman makes his directorial debut with this moving and nuanced drama about the…