Category: Movie Reviews

Screenwriters Eric Randall and Madhuri Shekar give us believable characters with a believable connection.

It’s rich territory for storytelling.

An example of how to make a low-budget movie that immerses you in a long-gone world and the minds of people who lived in it.

“When Fall is Coming” feels like a return to form, exploring the dramatic possibilities of relationships in subtle and disarming ways.

A vision that feels at once ingenious and highly genuine.  

As a fan of horror auteurs who carve their own path outside of the studio system, it brings me no joy to slam the door on this genre address.

The deceptive thrill of director Jody McVeigh-Schultz’s approach to “Spy High” is in playing with the typical sympathy we might feel for a documentary protagonist.

This review was originally published on October 25, 1996 If anybody ever wrote a Field Guide to Alcoholics, with descriptions of their appearance, sexual behavior and habitats, there would be a full-color portrait on the cover of Tommy, the hero of “Trees Lounge.” Steve Buscemi, who plays Tommy and also wrote and directed the film, […]

This is the kind of film black filmmakers are rarely able to get made these days, offering roles for actors who remind us here of their gifts.

This review was originally published on June 19, 2001. Sean Penn‘s “The Pledge” begins as a police story and spirals down into madness. It provides Jack Nicholson with one of his best roles in recent years, as a retired cop who makes a promise and tries to keep it. Like their previous film together as […]