Christopher Schobert

The Girl and the Spider’s lovely concluding shot visualizes this fading relationship, and stands as the filmmakers’ final statement on the fleeting nature of love in all its forms. It is both bitter and sweet. So is this beautiful film.

It is by no means a misfire and features a trio of tremendous performances from Pill, Gadon, and Mare Winningham. But given the source material and the ingredients, Sorrows certainly qualifies as a disappointment.

The Mad Women’s Ball represents a noteworthy achievement for Laurent—a tremendously compelling, emotionally shattering period piece bearing at least three mighty performances from de Laâge, de Dietrich, and herself.

Running for more than three hours, overflowing with film clips, and populated by truly insightful experts, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror is a cinematic graduate-level course––in the best sense.

Through the performances from Glaser and Brosnan, as well as its unabashed willingness to look extremely silly, False Positive may be worth one’s time. This is Friday-night thriller cinema from the Single White Female or Hand That Rocks the Cradle book, and sometimes that’s just what one is seeking. For anything more than that, look elsewhere. Like, to Rosemary’s Baby. Again.

It takes great maturity and confidence to make a film about the emergence of a young woman’s sexuality that also dares to ask complex, provocative questions while understanding there are no simple answers. Suzanne Lindon is such a filmmaker, and her brisk, entertaining debut Spring Blossom is such a film.

A vivid, compelling documentary.

It is impossible to find a great deal to criticize here. Harvey succeeds at making the audience get to know and care about the Dorset players while also building genuine suspense as the West End debut draws near.

The film is a slick affair––a little too slick. There is little subtlety here, and more would have made for a stronger film, especially when the onscreen interviewees include someone as extraordinary as Evelyne Haendel. Nevertheless, there is no denying the engaging watchability of Misha and the Wolves.

Perhaps months or even years from now, it will be easier to disassociate the film from the real-world details that influenced its creation and give it a second look. In the present, though, In the Earth feels like a project designed to stave up boredom. Perhaps it did, for Wheatley and his crew. For everyone else, the memories of watching will be quickly buried.

What’s most unsettling and provocative about White Riot is how current it feels. Because of this, perhaps White Riot’s greatest achievement is that it takes something that can cause sneers and eye-rolling—committed cultural and political action—and make it feel both necessary and triumphant.

It is utterly so-so, but it is also, undeniably, so-Ozon.

Shiva Baby is a blast of energy and from its first moment to its last Seligman finds the right balance. There is genuine suspense, if not horror; the score, by Ariel Marx, could just as easily fit a summer camp slasher flick. But the greatest feeling for the audience––after discomfort––is excitement.

It is a compelling drama––one based on a true story––and an important one, to be sure. But there are numerous missteps that lessen the impact and slow down the dramatic energy. While this keeps The Best Is Yet to Come from greatness, the film remains a powerful, worthy tale of investigative writing and compassionate reportage.

Interestingly, of all Disney’s recent live-action adaptations, Mulan is probably the one that would have benefited most from the big screen.

A sturdy, small-scale thriller that makes little lasting impact but certainly succeeds in providing some clever jolts.

You Don’t Nomi is another essential chapter in the Showgirls story–and completes the cultural reappreciation the film deserves. How can one not appreciate a film so devoted to “doggy chow,” chips, and ice cubes?

Onward is a spring treat that might not lead to sequels or boffo merchandise sales, but will certainly please families and the Pixar faithful. Debating whether the film is “classic Pixar” is silly. Put those concerns aside and you’ll be rewarded with the first great family film of 2020.

Saint Frances is a character-driven effort that tackles big themes in a wonderfully down-to-earth manner. That’s a tricky balancing act, but Thompson and O’Sullivan pull it off.

Cleverly constructed and bursting with well-planned action sequences–the carnival brawl near the film’s end is positively delightful–Birds of Prey is the rare comic book adaptation directed with a real, tangible vision. And as Quinn, it’s hard to imagine anyone else than Robbie bringing her mix of middle-finger savagery, surprising vulnerability, and utter likability to the role.

Red Penguins is utterly stuffed with memorable stories and unforgettable people. Therefore, the film is unquestionably entertaining for hockey fans. However, it has no more gravitas than, say, any random ESPN Films “30 for 30” entry.

Seberg never quite makes the case for its own existence, nor does it demonstrate to the audience why its protagonist’s political beliefs were so revolutionary.

The film is an emotional knockout that will leave even the most stoic viewer on the verge of weeping, but the shifts of the film’s second half are ultimately uplifting. Waves is a tremendous film, one that finishes with an appropriately transcendent final shot.

Ford v Ferrari is an easy film to scoff at; there is nothing new here, and there is no debating that fact. Instead, we have a compelling story told in simple, intelligent fashion. It deserves a spot on the list of great racing dramas, and the list of the year’s most entertaining dramas.

This is a standard unsolved mystery drama, the type that would be quite at home on a small-screen police procedural. The setting certainly adds to its interest, but even when the boy’s fate is (seemingly) explained, it is difficult to care.

As It Was is a tremendously entertaining, surprisingly moving film.

It is impossible to walk away from Just Mercy unmoved. ... Yet Destin Daniel Cretton’s third feature also feels a bit predictable, a bit obvious, and never quite as compelling as one might expect.

Driven is a well-told, strongly-acted drama with real heart.