Top Films by Year
Top Films of 2020
Top Films of 2017
Top Films of 2015
The Odyssey – 7
Forgetting for a moment how Christopher Nolan’s movie compares to Homer’s poem, let me react to the film itself. First, it is encompassing–visually, aurally, dramatically. Despite its 280-minute length (with no introductory throat-clearing), I never considered looking at my watch. That said, it could have been shortened 20-30 minutes without losing much. The scenes with […]
A Sad and Beautiful World – 7.6
I don’t know about the beautiful part, but Lebanon under siege was definitely a sad backdrop for a charming romance between unfortunately mismatched lovers. The secondary characters were amusingly overdrawn, which set off the achingly real relationship between the beautiful and accomplished Yasmina and the effervescent but slightly goofy Nino. At the end, though, I […]
I Want Your Sex – 5
A fun premise with a slew of cute one-liners, but the joke (one only) grew thin as the movie progressed to a toothless ending. Neither Olivia Wilde nor Cooper Hoffman merited 90 minutes of attention.
Reading Lolita in Tehran – 7
More episodic than dramatic, as befits a memoir. The scenes of oppression in Iran are harrowing and a reminder that strengthening the theocratic government there is not the least of the disastrous consequences of Trump’s misbegotten war. The movie’s star is pretty, but before the end of the overlong film I tired of seeing her […]
The Invite – 9
A masterclass in acting: Penelope Cruz is sensational, but Olivia Wilde, Edward Norton and Seth Rogen make the case that the Academy should add an award for “Ensemble Performance.” The casting is also award-worthy, assuming you can accept the notion that Seth Rogen, like Woody Allen, is attractive to women. That the movie was shot […]