The Dinner Is an Invitation to Decline

Steve Coogan is at a fancy dinner, but he’s not doing any Michael Caine impressions. Instead, he’s brooding with resentment of his workaholic congressman brother, Stan (Richard Gere), and grappling with the realization that his son might be a psychopath. It’s all supposed to be harrowing, and the British comedian…

John Coltrane Documentary Chasing Trane Is a Flub Supreme

“You can’t describe music with words,” the great Sonny Rollins observes in John Scheinfeld’s survey-course-brisk docu-dip into the art and life of John Coltrane. As if seeking to prove Rollins right, Scheinfeld’s interviewees hold themselves to generalities: “His sound is stunning,” observes appreciator-in-chief Bill Clinton, who adds, unilluminatingly, that it…

The Circle: The Dystopia Begins With a Visit From HR

It’s easy to giggle at The Circle, the movie, just as it’s easy giggle sometimes at Dave Eggers, whose novel is the film’s source. James Ponsoldt’s adaptation (co-written with Eggers) is, like Eggers’ books, nakedly earnest, engaged with nothing less but The State of Things Now, more smart than its…

Casting JonBenet Can’t Solve a Murder, so it Asks Actors to Explore it

Twice I’ve described Kitty Green’s curious, alienating docu-whatzit Casting JonBenet to friends, and twice I’ve been asked, with surprising heat, “Why?” and “What’s the point?” So, this time, before we get into the specifics of what this documentary actually documents, let’s take a moment to consider what the film isn’t…

Graduation Lays Bare the Cost of Thriving in a Corrupt Society

Romanian director Cristian Mungiu’s Graduation is one of the best films I’ve ever seen about corruption. That’s true despite the fact that Mungiu underplays the typical elements found in tales about this subject: You won’t find many fast-talking crooks, sinister cops or elaborate sting operations here. Or a looming sense…

Faena Art’s Biennale of Moving Images Brings Global Culture to Miami Beach

Clad in his trademark all-white garb, with a matching bandanna and Panama hat, Alan Faena is the namesake of the city’s most upscale hotel, Faena Hotel Miami Beach. With his wife and close collaborator Ximena Caminos, he launched the Faena District to house the North American operations of Faena Art during Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2016.

Four Must-See Movies at the 2017 MiFo LGBT Film Festival

The latest edition of the MiFo LGBT Film Festival will screen a variety of queer films April 21 through 30. For ten days, you can catch movies that offer something different from the straight white nonsense you endure daily. But given dozens of films, which should you prioritize? We’re here to help.

Nacho Vigalondo on Balancing Human Life and Kaiju Rampages in Colossal

Over four features and countless shorts, Spanish director Nacho Vigalondo has cemented his status as a director who mixes genre elements with surprisingly personal stories and playful narrative trickery. His mind-bending first feature Timecrimes (2007) starts off as a horror movie, then turns into a time-travel tale and finally the…