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The Comedy in ‘Miller’s Crossing’ is as Dry as Graveyard Dust
The Comedy in ‘Miller’s Crossing’ is as Dry as Graveyard Dust
It starts in knowing satire and a winking brand of precise mimicry but ends in a haunting existential trap.
Chris Barsanti
Feb 12
‘Mosul’ is an Iraq War Movie that’s Actually About Iraqis
‘Mosul’ is an Iraq War Movie that’s Actually About Iraqis
One of the most important movies of 2020 is on Netflix right now, but you probably don’t know it.
Chris Barsanti
Jan 4
‘Dear Comrades!’ Shows How to Erase History and Humanity
‘Dear Comrades!’ Shows How to Erase History and Humanity
In Andrei Konchalovsky’s icy yet searing drama, the Soviet commissars erasing a 1962 massacre inadvertently show that history matters.
Chris Barsanti
Jan 3
2020 Didn’t Kill Cinema But it Didn’t Help
2020 Didn’t Kill Cinema But it Didn’t Help
The biggest box-office hit (‘Bad Boys for Life’) was released just 17 days into the new year.
Chris Barsanti
Dec 29, 2020
‘A Rainy Day in New York’ Feels Like an Imposter Woody Allen Movie
‘A Rainy Day in New York’ Feels Like an Imposter Woody Allen Movie
Could there be a cabal of Young Turk filmmakers out there imitating Woody Allen?
Chris Barsanti
Oct 9, 2020
‘The Wages of Fear’ Tightens the Screws and Chills the Soul
‘The Wages of Fear’ Tightens the Screws and Chills the Soul
The greatest thriller to ever turn a moviegoer’s knuckles white.
Chris Barsanti
Aug 9, 2020
‘Kiss Me Deadly’ is One Weird Noir
‘Kiss Me Deadly’ is One Weird Noir
For sheer brazen strange, it’s hard to top Robert Aldrich’s 1955 noir adaptation of the skull-busting Mickey Spillane novel.
Chris Barsanti
Jul 21, 2020
Latest
‘The Pruitt-Igoe Myth’ Dismantles a Racist Public Housing Legend
‘The Pruitt-Igoe Myth’ Dismantles a Racist Public Housing Legend
Repeat a distorted version of the truth often enough, and it becomes fact.
Chris Barsanti
Jul 4, 2020
Blinded by the Light: Madness and Beauty in ‘Empire of the Sun’
Blinded by the Light: Madness and Beauty in ‘Empire of the Sun’
Steven Spielberg’s 1987 epic was a chilly, nervy, and long-underappreciated departure for a director known more for popcorn thrills.
Chris Barsanti
May 1, 2020
Still a Big World Out There: New Documentaries to Stream
Still a Big World Out There: New Documentaries to Stream
Good documentaries tell you a story; the great ones open your eyes.
Chris Barsanti
Apr 17, 2020
Every Other Best Picture Oscar Nominee Deserves to Beat ‘Joker’
Every Other Best Picture Oscar Nominee Deserves to Beat ‘Joker’
Yes, that includes JoJo Rabbit.
Chris Barsanti
Jan 13, 2020
‘Just Mercy’ Should Not Be Ignored
‘Just Mercy’ Should Not Be Ignored
You might not have noticed it, but one of the best-acted recent major-studio dramas was just released.
Chris Barsanti
Jan 10, 2020
‘Parasite’ and the other Best Movies of 2019
‘Parasite’ and the other Best Movies of 2019
Once again, this year’s movies reflect a tense and rattled world. But some also teased out humanity, humor, and even hope.
Chris Barsanti
Dec 22, 2019
Is ‘The Irishman’ Scorsese’s ‘JFK’?
Is ‘The Irishman’ Scorsese’s ‘JFK’?
A hitman’s odyssey through postwar America, The Irishman covers a lot of ground.
Chris Barsanti
Nov 27, 2019
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