Isle of Dogs is a whimsical, dystopian fairy tale

Even if you’ve never seen a Wes Anderson film before, you can spot one out from a mile away. His attention to detail, color palettes and symmetrical frames are part of his MO and planted him as one of the…

Final Portrait Review: A Mediocre Work of Incomparable Genius

The struggles of the tortured artist is an attractive story for Hollywood, from the Picasso-centric Lust for Life to the modern-day biopic Basquiat. These films attempt to scrape under the paint-spattered surface of their subject, exposing them as a jangled…

Flower Movie Review: Zoey Deutch is terrific in a not so great film

Max Winkler’s Flower is an indie-coming of age that begs the question: What if the manic pixie dream girl had a raunchy side to her and repeatedly drew penises in her notebook? The result is Zoey Deutch’s Erica, a feisty…

Demon House Could Have Been The Room of Documentaries

One hundred and eleven minutes. One hundred and eleven nerve-nulling, soul-deadening minutes. That’s how long Zak Bagans felt his preposterously inept “documentary” Demon House should run. I’m not sure whether to marvel at his audacity or laugh in disbelief, as…

Gringo is a Messy but Compelling Shkreli Revenge Fantasy

There’s no way Amazon Studios could have predicted they would release Nash Edgerton’s Gringo on the same day hedge fund manager Martin Shkreli was sentenced to seven years in prison for securities fraud. Shkreli—nicknamed the “Pharma Bro”—swiftly became one of…

The Death of Stalin Movie Review: A biting and farcical satire

If anyone can turn the reign of an oppressive dictator into an uproarious farce, it’s Scottish writer/director Armando Iannucci (Veep, In the Loop). His latest project, a cynical political spoof, makes great strides in further cementing the filmmaker as one…

Foxtrot Movie Review: A surreal look at loss and life

According to director Samuel Maoz, his film, Foxtrot, captures the bleeding soul of Israel. They moments are caught in a dance (a foxtrot if you will) with war, and every generation starts at the same point again. Whether it’s the…