Film
The Harimaya Bridge: Death and Healing in Japan
As a stranger in a strange land, try being an African American in Japan—it’s like being a gaijin…
Film
Mademoiselle Chambon: French Romance Across the Class Divide
Discreetly drawn and elegantly photographed, Mademoiselle Chambon gives a French working-class love triangle the Brief Encounter treatment. With…
Film
Soul Kitchen: A Favorite Culinary Comedy Returns From SIFF
This surefire crowd-pleaser from Fatah Akin shares the multicultural German setting of his intense prior dramas (Head-On, The…
Film
A Woman, A Gun and a Noodle Shop: The Coen Brothers in Chinese
Following his Beijing Olympics opening-ceremony mega-production, Zhang Yimou remakes the Coen brothers’ Blood Simple by dressing it in…
Film
Legendary: Why, Patricia Clarkson, Why?
“Oklahoma—they call it the ‘Sooner State,'” narrates Danny Glover, playing a fisherman/Magical Negro, at the beginning of the…
Film
Lebanon: A Claustrophobic Drama of Israel’s Failed War
Written and directed by Samuel Maoz, Lebanon is not just the year’s most impressive first feature but also…
Film
I’m Still Here: Joaquin Phoenix Bites the Hand That Feeds
Directed by Casey Affleck, I’m Still Here purports to document Joaquin Phoenix’s high-profile “retirement” from acting, his alleged…
Film
The American: George Clooney Sulks Through an Italian Hill Town
Sometimes you feel bad for movie marketers, tasked with connecting any given film to an audience as large…
Film
The Tillman Story: Football Hero Falls to Friendly Fire
An atheist who, before deploying to Afghanistan, told his wife he didn’t want a military or religious funeral…
Film
Battle League Horumo: D&D Meets the Japanese Spirit World
If you genetically spliced a tennis ball, a gerbil, and an onion, a bouncing, squealing, pursed-lip Oni warrior…
Film
Highwater: Gorgeous Surf and Beachside Philosophizing
Sure to become a sacred text to surf-movie enthusiasts, but surprisingly watchable even for those who think “goofy-footing”…
Film
Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1: Hurry Up and Die Already, Frenchie!
After last week’s Part One of the crime saga of Jacques Mesrine, Killer Instinct, Part Two dives into…
Film
Going the Distance: What the Hell Does Drew Barrymore See in Justin Long?
“What really matters is what you like, not what you are like,” says John Cusack in High Fidelity,…
Film
Cairo Time: Patricia Clarkson Is in Love With Egypt
Unabashedly a women’s picture, and one that dares address the romantic longings of a woman north of 40…
Film
Mesrine: Killer Instinct: A True-Crime Tale From France
French gangster/showman Jacques Mesrine’s jaw-dropping record of flamboyant crimes and repeat prison breaks would seem to guarantee an…
Film
Around a Small Mountain: Jacques Rivette Explores Commedia DellArte
Around a Small Mountain travels with an itinerant one-ring circus of proud artisans, performing to shrinking rural crowds.…
Film
Looking for Eric: Ken Loach Makes a Welcome Foray Into Comedy
What might strike American viewers as the most quizzical thing about Looking for Eric, Ken Loach’s humble ode…
Film
Animal Kingdom: Crime and Family Dysfunction Down Under
Happily sampling nasty beats and riffs from the Scorsese catalog, this new Aussie crime saga begins with a…
Film
Centurion: Don’t Make the Picts Angry
Trapped behind enemy lines in Scotland circa 117 A.D. and besieged by the savage Picts, a dwindling handful…
Film
The Last Exorcism: A Surprisingly Smart Fright Flick
With a small, well-chosen cast, a sly script, and slippery, ambivalent characters, The Last Exorcism gives a welcome…