Halfway engaging, halfway aggravating documentary on street art and its inevitable commercialization. Signed by the pseudonymous Banksy, a British graffiti artist who zealously guards his true identity (“The Scarlet Pimpernel of Street Art,” as one newspaper headline puts it) and who appears here on screen wearing a hoodie in silhouette …
Fainthearted adaptation of Anne Rice's B&D romance novel, set on a Pleasure Island of vacationing sex slaves and masters. To this, a comical cop plot has been added, so that Rosie O'Donnell (undercover LAPD) can throw in one-liners and voice-over narration or both at once: "Let's face it, a wild …
Steven Seagal fighting age, weight, and dirty Detroit cops. Putting up no resistance to wretched excess, mindlessness, and egomania. With DMX, Anthony Anderson, Isaiah Washington, and Tom Arnold; directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak.
Andrew Carnegie envisioned a New York City with a library within walking distance of every resident’s doorstep. Frederick Wiseman’s documentary takes us on a guided tour of several. Public libraries are neighborhood oases, some of the few safe and welcoming spaces left in the world. From an intimate reading-group discussion …
A bright young man at a fancy tech company (Domhnall Gleeson) gets picked to visit the company’s founder (Oscar Isaac) in his country home, er, homey concrete fortress. There, he is introduced to Ava (Alicia Vikander), a sweet and pretty robot who might just be the world’s first Artificial Intelligence. …
A Birth of a Nation for the nation of Israel, three and a half hours in labor. Otto Preminger's adaptation of the Leon Uris novel is visually majestic, with some memorable sequences (and of course memorable theme music by Ernest Gold), but also some grinding dialogue and strained performances that …
Well, at least they got the biblical proportions right: the massive Egyptian monument industry, the vast peoples and vaster landscapes, and most importantly, the God-sized plagues and waves. Otherwise, Ridley Scott's take on the great contest between Moses and Pharoah is underwhelming and ill-conceived. First, the underwhelming: nearly everyone — …
Academy Award-winner Russell Crowe stars as Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he's slipping back into his past addictions or if there's something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, …
The courtroom drama wedded to the devil-possession horror show, two different worlds, as clearly evidenced when the D.A. jumps to his feet to object to a piece of defense testimony on the grounds of "silliness." The case — a Catholic priest accused of negligent homicide for removing a diagnosed "schizophrenic …
We've seen this all before: the blasphemous possessee strapped to a palpitant bed, the priest pausing briefly in the light emanating from the bedroom window before rushing to her side, spewing green, etc. Director Alejandro Hidalgo is well-aware of the familiarity the images spark and uses it to his advantage …
Just because the filmmakers do not trouble to work out one interesting development of character, situation, or metaphysics, is no excuse for the viewer to sit back, dull. And it is to the film's credit that there are so many teasing possibilities to pursue privately in this horror story, at …
Just because the filmmakers do not trouble to work out one interesting development of character, situation, or metaphysics, is no excuse for the viewer to sit back, dull. And it is to the film's credit that there are so many teasing possibilities to pursue privately in this horror story, at …
Since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago, Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom, Jr.) has raised their daughter, Angela (Lidya Jewett) on his own. But when Angela and her friend Katherine (Olivia Marcum), disappear in the woods, only to return three days later with no …
Since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago, Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom, Jr.) has raised their daughter, Angela (Lidya Jewett) on his own. But when Angela and her friend Katherine (Olivia Marcum), disappear in the woods, only to return three days later with no …