Bicycle Thieves: Desperate Acts

Enzo Staiola and Lamberto Maggiorani. Photo: Compass Film When Bicycle Thieves was released in Italy, it was far from an instant classic. Some critics considered the film too negative in…

Fast & Furious 9 

Dom and Letty (Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez) are drawn out of retirement to chase after a device that can control any weapons system; suddenly, Dom’s younger brother (John Cena) becomes…

The Forever Purge

After the latest round of the Purge, a Texas rancher family and two Mexican immigrants (Ana de la Reguera, Tenoch Huerta) learn that there’s an organized, country-wide attempt to keep…

Godzilla vs. Kong

An expedition uses Kong to take them into the Hollow Earth, looking for a power source; meanwhile, Godzilla wreaks havoc. Another entry in the monster franchise that began with Godzilla…

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It 

In 1981, the Warrens (Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson) try to help a young man (Ruairi O’Connor) who’s been charged with murder; they know that he’s possessed by a demon. The…

Hiroshima Mon Amour: Prisoners of War

Emmanuelle Riva and Eiji Okada. Photo: Argos Films Another one of those classics that I wasn’t quite prepared for when I was studying film, but which had a much more…

Yung Lean: In My Head 

A documentary from music journalist and filmmaker Henrik Burman in the vein of Avicii: True Stories (2017), which also depicted a Swedish talent who found success abroad but came to…

Wonder Woman 1984 

In 1984, Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) and a dorky new geologist (Kristen Wiig) at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. come across a mysterious item that grants its owner a wish.…

Nomadland: Life of a Vandweller

Frances McDormand. Photo: Searchlight Pictures Watching this movie reminded me of a younger relative of mine. I haven’t met him for many years; he’s spent most of his time on…

Blue Velvet: Quite an Earful

Kyle MacLachlan and Isabella Rossellini. Photo: De Laurentiis Entertainment Group In his annual movie guide, Leonard Maltin expresses amazement at how Blue Velvet was a critically lauded film. Roger Ebert wrote about…