Scary Stories Make Life Less Scary
Kenneth Branagh’s latest film blends mystery and paranormal experiences for an exhilarating watch with lingering eeriness.
Chronicles of a Wandering Saint: A Miraculous Debut from an Emerging Argentine Filmmaker
Chronicles of a Wandering Saint, the remarkable debut feature film from writer-director Tomás Gómez Bustillo, opens with a prayer. The woman whispering it is Rita (Mónica Villa), the elderly custodian at a rural Argentine church. As she kneels in the first pew, clutching her rosary beads, white sunlight spills in through an open door, illuminating…
Ink-Stained Fingers, ‘Til Death Do Us Part
Married to Comics, John Kinhart’s complex portrait of a union of singular artists premieres at AFI Silver on Sept. 8.
Embracing B-Rate Status, The Nun II Will Make You Yelp
The demon in The Nun II wears a lot of makeup, which exaggerates her features and facial expressions. If it were not for her glowing eyes and sharp teeth, you might think she were a clown. Director Michael Chaves improves upon the stiff original 2018 film, which was much too serious, by recognizing the comic…
Citizen Kane’s Greatness Endures
Citizen Kane is playing at AFI Silver this weekend, but that doesn’t mean you can see it. Sometimes a film’s reputation becomes so towering and its influence on cinema so pervasive that when you watch, all you see is its legacy. Citizen Kane innovated several filmmaking techniques. The film pioneered a genre. Its insights into…
Something’s Not Quite Right in Golda
The new historical drama Golda follows the formula that made 2017’s Darkest Hour an Oscar-winning success. It dramatizes a key international wartime episode from the 20th century, and by narrowing the plot to a leader’s point of view, it gives a sense of the required grace under pressure. Whereas Joe Wright’s Darkest Hour focuses on…
The Elephant 6 Recording Co. Invites You to Hang Out With Your Favorite Bands
By some miracle, the same website that taught me about One Direction also introduced me to Neutral Milk Hotel. I was newly a teenager in 2013, and the elusive ’90s outfit fronted by Jeff Mangum was all the rave on Tumblr, ubiquitously appearing on playlists alongside contemporary indie bands like Arctic Monkeys and Vampire Weekend. …
The Old Vampire and the Sea
The Last Voyage of the Demeter expands a chapter of Dracula into a modest fright-gathering rather than a full-on frightfest.
Passages: A Sexy Romantic Drama or a Cautionary Tale?
Director Ira Sachs offers a compelling look at complex relationships in what may be his best film yet.
Slice-of-Life Indie Drama Ludi Offers a Heartfelt Critique of the American Dream
Ludi, Edson Jean’s portrait of a Haitian immigrant trying to make ends meet in Miami, closes out African Diaspora International Film Festival on Aug. 13.
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