Salon.com

His fatal flaw was that he could never be completely satisfied. Fortunately anyone watching this documentary is bound to be precisely that.

Posted Nov 23, 2020

Crazy, Not Insane (2020)

It's the names of the murderers that draw us as opposed to the doctor who spoke with them... But filmmaker Alex Gibney is careful to centralize Lewis and her work, creating a fascinating portrait in personality contrasts.

Posted Nov 19, 2020

Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine (2020)

Happily for everyone involved and the audience, it works. This is in no small part due to Cooper knowing her audience's expectations and limitations.

Posted Oct 28, 2020

The Witches (2020)

While Dahl's books and Zemeckis' adaptation may feel a touch too dark for some, consider that it's actually shining a light into the shadows.

Posted Oct 26, 2020

Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)

It is enormously entertaining and for the reasons listed above a healthy treatment to whatever anxieties plaguing us a little more than a week leading up to the election. Whatever faults it has aren't deadly.

Posted Oct 26, 2020

American Selfie: One Nation Shoots Itself (2020)

The terrifying part about this documentary is that it's highly likely that any American who watches will recognize a version of themselves in here -- and Pelosi doesn't put a pretty filter on any of what her camera captures.

Posted Oct 26, 2020

Cuties (Mignonnes) (2020)

Bernadette Barton

We need more feminist stories like Cuties that illuminate the constraints girls and women face and help us chart a path to full gender equality.

Posted Oct 23, 2020

537 Votes (2020)

While imperfect, 537 Votes succeeds in making the tumult and social upheaval of 2000 feel fresh again, while also delivering additional nuance to the story that may have been lost over the last two decades.

Posted Oct 22, 2020

What the Constitution Means to Me (2020)

Between Schreck, Ciprian, and Williams What the Constitution Means to Me becomes a hopeful vision and reminder that the Constitution a living document, but one that needs to be brought alive constantly by successive generations.

Posted Oct 19, 2020

David Byrne's American Utopia (2020)

Lee's documentary does the music and energy of the stage performance justice. The powerhouse sound of the drumming and joyful force of the songs - as well as the few political messages - come through loud and clear.

Posted Oct 17, 2020

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

It may be messy, but it's fleet-footed and it means well, and in the way of any good caper flick it extols the virtue of breaking the law for all the right reasons, come what may.

Posted Oct 16, 2020

French Exit (2021)

Pfeiffer delivers a sly, elegant performance as Frances, which provides the chief pleasure of Azazel Jacobs' film, a melancholy farce adapted by Patrick DeWitt from his novel of the same name.

Posted Oct 16, 2020

Totally Under Control (2020)

It reconstructs recent history to remind us of how recently and quickly this pandemic changed life as we know it. Simultaneously, it calls attention to the many missed opportunities officials could have seized that may have altered the course we're on.

Posted Oct 14, 2020

Kingdom of Silence (2020)

In examining Khashoggi's professional life from its beginning... to its untimely end, Rowley draws a map of how journalistic censorship can extinguish a nation's democratic ambitions almost overnight.

Posted Oct 5, 2020

On The Rocks (2020)

The father/daughter bond is why the film is so enchanting. Watching Felix and Laura eat caviar in a convertible sportscar while on a stakeout is sweet, especially when the moment segues into a comic chase scene.

Posted Oct 2, 2020

The Human Voice (La Voz Humana) (2020)

[Almodóvar] gravitates to stories of "women on the verge," and Swinton has this ethereal quality to her that makes her fragile and headstrong simultaneously. Both are working at the height of their powers here.

Posted Sep 25, 2020

Enola Holmes (2020)

Hanh Nguyen

As smart as Enola is, what's more impressive is how Brown has been able to pull off such a film. Not only has she found the perfect vehicle to advance her clever and progressive image, but she's also drawn hefty talent around her.

Posted Sep 25, 2020

New Order (Nuevo orden) (2020)

Director Michel Franco's film, New Order, a stinging indictment on economic inequality, is electrifying - like a cattle prod to the nether regions. That vivid image is actually seen in one of the many disturbing sequences in this mesmerizing drama.

Posted Sep 17, 2020

Concrete Cowboy (2020)

Concrete Cowboy works best as a vehicle into the little-known and -seen world of the riders, and it is most enjoyable when it is in that world.

Posted Sep 16, 2020

Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne (2020)

That willingness to be vulnerable displayed in "Nine Lives" makes it an essential watch for fans of the musician, also serves to illuminate Ozzy and Sharon's shift in the early 2000s to television.

Posted Sep 16, 2020

This Is Paris (2020)

This Is Paris isn't apt to change the minds of any Paris Hilton detractors. But as a whole, it stands as a fascinating study of what happens when a human being's personality is entirely subsumed by the construct she creates.

Posted Sep 15, 2020

Coastal Elites (2020)

It's about as direct in its play to the anti-Trump crowd as it can possibly be. Nevertheless, I can't help but wonder who actually has the stomach for Rudnick's Trump-enraged quarantine view into the left-leaning electorate psyche.

Posted Sep 14, 2020

Nomadland (2020)

McDormand, who is in every scene, makes Fern as tough at the plant she named for in that she adapts and survives. The actress gives a committed performance that will likely garner her an Oscar nomination.

Posted Sep 13, 2020

Unpregnant (2020)

The insouciant spirit fueling Unpregnant is admirable, in fact, and amply pumped up by Ferreira and Richardson's ebullient performances.

Posted Sep 11, 2020

Mulan (2020)

Nicole Clark

It might have been an excellent reinterpretation, were it not so heavy-handed and, well, Disney-fied. But what remains bears minimal discernible relationship to the original, while reading too much like a basic Marvel film.

Posted Sep 4, 2020

I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

"I'm Thinking of Ending Things" is as provocative as it is exasperating. It may require repeated viewings to understand everything Kaufman is trying to achieve...but the prospect of sitting through this film twice just feels excruciating.

Posted Sep 3, 2020

Critical Thinking (2020)

This may be a textbook case of an inspirational teacher/underdog sports drama, but it surehandedly delivers the feels.

Posted Sep 2, 2020

#Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump (2020)

Hopefully we care about these violations. Those who don't aren't going to be moved by this movie. However, #Unfit successfully makes its case concerning why Trump's psychological instability should be of concern to the public.

Posted Aug 31, 2020

Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)

[T]o its credit, "Bill & Ted Face the Music" delivers the sweet message that music has the power to unite the world in its special-effect laden mash-up finale.

Posted Aug 28, 2020

The One and Only Ivan (2020)

Whether you think of yourself as a marshmallow or believe you have a heart of steel, there's a strong probability that The One and Only Ivan is going to make you cry... or well up, at least.

Posted Aug 24, 2020

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula (2020)

Hanh Nguyen

Peninsula couldn't possibly have lived up to Train to Busan... Nevertheless, even with lowered expectations, Yeon's follow-up is a disappointment, from the pointless story to the zombies, who somehow have less character development than before.

Posted Aug 24, 2020

Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story (2020)

The clues, tidily packaged, explain away Kricfalusi's pathology. "Happy Happy Joy Joy" is a cautionary tale not a hagiography

Posted Aug 13, 2020

Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn (2020)

Voices past and present give Storm Over Brooklyn a piercing relevance in the here and now, whether by what they're saying or what they represent.

Posted Aug 13, 2020

An American Pickle (2020)

Rogen's acting alongside himself is the film's most potent ingredient. In Herschel and Ben, he creates two very distinct characters with two sets of unique mannerisms.

Posted Aug 7, 2020

On the Trail: Inside the 2020 Primaries (2020)

On the Trail opens the door to important conversations regarding objectivity and bias, and the deeply flawed tendency to perpetuate false equivalency in the effort to appear objective and unbiased.

Posted Aug 7, 2020

The Sunset Limited (2011)

Matt Zoller Seitz

The Sunset Limited is a dog's breakfast of dramaturgy, interspersing brilliant bits with greeting-card wisdom, ostentatious philosophical throat-clearing, and an unseemly strain of self-congratulation.

Posted Aug 6, 2020

Sam Jay: 3 in the Morning (2020)

She possesses a certain rawness in her presentation that simultaneously elevates jokes that fall onto well-trodden ground and imbues even most contentious political content with the familiarity of a discussion with a friend at a bar.

Posted Aug 5, 2020

The Go-Go's (2020)

Mary Elizabeth Williams

Watching the film, it's pure pleasure to witness such scrappy exuberance, such mayhem so enthusiastically pursued.

Posted Aug 3, 2020

Black Is King (2020)

Black Is King is as carefully realized a construct as Beyoncé's previous videos and visual albums with the sort of vibrant cinematography and international scope tailor made for the Disney brand.

Posted Aug 3, 2020

The Speed Cubers (2020)

Hanh Nguyen

Yes, the thrill of competition and watching feats of strength and agility are enough reasons to tune in, but the truly compelling aspect is the storytelling.

Posted Jul 31, 2020

The Weight of Gold (2020)

Some insight into the specific struggles and biases faced by athletes of color would have added to the documentary's timeliness. However, especially in the absence of the 2020 Olympics, Weight of Gold remains essential viewing.

Posted Jul 29, 2020

The Painted Bird (2020)

The Painted Bird is a potent, visceral but rewarding film for viewers who can withstand the onslaught of traumatizing moments.

Posted Jul 17, 2020

The Old Guard (2020)

In drawing our attention to who these characters are as opposed to leaning upon the awe-inspiring moves they can pull off, the movie opts to be rich with emotional resonance as opposed to lousy with quips and explosions.

Posted Jul 14, 2020

First Cow (2020)

"First Cow" is a wonderfully unhurried film, which may be why it is so captivating. It allows viewers to sink in and absorb the story and its setting.

Posted Jul 10, 2020

The Tobacconist (Der trafikant) (2018)

Much of director and co-writer Nikolaus Leytner's drama, which alternates between starchy and hyperventilating, generates eye rolls.... "The Tobacconist" should have been richer and provided something for viewers to think about and chew on.

Posted Jul 9, 2020

Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado (2020)

Mucho Mucho Amor works for many reasons -- the insightful interviews, the tight editing, revealing archival footage, and some stunning tarot-inspired animations -- but also in its recognition that not all that glitters is gold.

Posted Jul 9, 2020

John Lewis: Good Trouble (2020)

Priscilla Ward

There's a lot to glean from the battleground Lewis has stood on for six decades while demanding fairness, a hope, and dream, of every American. Good Trouble is of importance now more than ever.

Posted Jul 6, 2020

Welcome to Chechnya (2020)