Nov 27 20151311/27/15The Danish Girl Makes Transgender Issues Safe For The Oscar CrowdTim Grierson21Of all the adjectives to describe a movie, “well-intentioned” is among the least scintillating and most wearying.…
Nov 24 20151311/24/15The Good Dinosaur's Visual Grandeur Makes Up For Its Lack Of WitTim Grierson21One of the constant accolades Pixar receives about its movies is that they’re not made just for kids. This is meant…
Nov 19 2015911/19/15Carol Is A Beautiful Love Story, Starring A Terrific Cate BlanchettTim Grierson24In director Todd Haynes’ films, characters have to learn how to live in worlds that don’t suit them. In Safe, Far…
Nov 19 20151211/19/15The Night Before Is One Seth Rogen Bromance Too ManyTim Grierson64A lot of comics have a shtick, and the trick is to give it enough flexibility so that it can be twisted and reshaped…
Nov 11 20151011/11/15By The Sea Makes Marriage Look Like A Beautiful, Painful BoreTim Grierson16About seven months after Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston got married, The Onion ran the brilliant headline “Brad Pitt…
Nov 5 2015411/5/15The Peanuts Movie Is Faithful To Charles Schulz's Creation, But Still Gets It WrongTim Grierson49Back in 1997, when L.A. Weekly critic Manohla Dargis gave a negative review to The Lost World, the hotly-anticipated…
Nov 4 20151711/4/15The Superb Investigative-Journalism Drama Spotlight Makes Competence RivetingTim Grierson55Inspirational true stories trumpet lots of commendable human traits—heroism, perseverance, compassion—but Spotlight…
Oct 29 20151110/29/15You Should See the 3D Sex Drama Love, Even If You Hate Gaspar NoéTim Grierson8There are two very understandable reasons why people hate Gaspar Noé’s films: He’s a pompous tool, and his movies…
Movies10/28/15Oct 28 20156Movies10/28/15MoviesThe Political Satire Our Brand Is Crisis Isn't Nearly As Sharp As It Pretends To BeTim Grierson25Our Brand Is Crisis means to cast a harsh light on presidential campaigns, but it mostly just panders. The new film…
Oct 15 2015410/15/15The Abduction Drama Room Gets Even More Claustrophobic When They Get OutTim Grierson27At its halfway point, Room arrives at the moment that you might have thought would be its big finale. After being…
Oct 13 2015610/13/15Child War Is Hell In The Gripping, Important, Only Slightly Disappointing Beasts Of No NationTim Grierson10Beasts of No Nation is such a worthy, timely, thoughtful drama that the worst you can say about it is that it’s a…
Oct 7 20151310/7/15Steve Jobs May Be About The Apple Guru, But Aaron Sorkin Is The Real StarTim Grierson31The trick to enjoying an Aaron Sorkin project is to never take it as seriously as he does. The creator of The West…
Movies9/29/15Sep 29 20157Movies9/29/15MoviesThe Walk Is A Cloying, Uneven Caper With An Absolutely Amazing Final ActTim Grierson53The feat that made Philippe Petit legendary—his tightrope walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center on…
Movies9/25/15Sep 25 201512Movies9/25/15MoviesThe Gambling Drama Mississippi Grind Will Break Your HeartTim Grierson26When their eyes first meet, there’s an immediate spark, or perhaps a shared recognition. Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn)…
Movies9/22/15Sep 22 20156Movies9/22/15MoviesRobert De Niro Redeems The Dopey Fantasy That Is The InternTim Grierson18At a time when some romantic comedies are flexing an edgier, more smart-ass tone—They Came Together, Sleeping With…
Movies9/9/15Sep 9 20159Movies9/9/15MoviesToronto Film Festival 2015: 10 Movies We Can’t Wait To SeeTim Grierson55The 40th Toronto Film Festival, which kicks off Thursday, represents both what’s great and what’s maddening about…
Aug 26 201588/26/15The Dystopian Love Triangle Z For Zachariah Proves That Hell Is Other PeopleTim Grierson25One of the best things about Z for Zachariah, the new drama starring Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Chris…
Aug 13 2015258/13/15Straight Outta Compton Celebrates The Day The Bad Guys WonTim Grierson100Director F. Gary Gray’s group-endorsed new N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton brings us back to a time when hip-hop…
Movies8/5/15Aug 5 20153Movies8/5/15MoviesMeryl Streep Rocks Out: Ricki And The Flash Could've Been WorseTim Grierson22Ricki and the Flash could’ve easily been yet another broad, obvious dysfunctional-family comedy. It’s right there in…
Jul 31 201587/31/15The David Foster Wallace Movie Gets Our Vision Of Him Right, At LeastTim Grierson77The End of the Tour, a drama about a five-day interview/road trip that took place between novelist David Foster…