Top Films by Year
Top Films of 2020
Top Films of 2017
Top Films of 2015
Frankenstein – 7
A gorgeous Gothic bromance, better viewed on a larger screen than our home TV. We know the story but have to admire its presentation, along with the appearance of Charles Dance, Christoph Waltz and the rest of the finely costumed cast. Telling the story twice dilutes the drama in favor of sheer spectacle.
Ghostlight – 5
A family’s repressed feelings, anger issues and bad legal choices following the death of their son are resolved by therapy and play-acting. The plot, as presented, is manipulative and schmaltzy, more community theater than Sentimental Value.
Sentimental Value – 7.7
A Scandinavian psychodrama that brings back memories of Ingmar Bergman. Renate Reinsve joins Jessie Buckley, Rose Byrne and Zoey Deutch in the Actress-I-Enjoy-Watching category for 2025, while Stellan Skarsgard and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas are worthy Golden Globe supporting actor nominees. There’s disappointingly less to the story and landscape than in Joachim Trier’s earlier The Worst […]
4 Days in Santa Barbara
Four days, four events, shows how rich the cultural life can be in our small city. Friday we attended a preview of Marty Supreme, sponsored by the Film Society at the Riviera Theater, with co-star Gwyneth Paltrow interviewed afterward. (The movie was awful.) Saturday the Museum of Art hosted an interview with the premier Monet scholar […]
Marty Supreme – 3
Unwatchable. From the opening frantic sex scene to the discordantly beatific ending, the movie charges ahead with a frenzy and high volume that is unrelieved and wearing. The plot toggles between absurd and ridiculous. The repetitive table tennis scenes are fakey and the music is unusually bad. Timothee Chalamet succeeds in creating the most unpleasant […]