Rosamund Pike in a scene from Matthew Heineman’s A Private War
“[Rosamund] Pike’s portrayal of celebrated war journalist Marie Colvin is a towering accomplishment.”
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A Private War — Review
Drama
The Wife — Review
Glenn Close in a scene from Björn Runge’s The Wife
“There’s no spontaneity of human emotion, no feeling that anything that’s happening here is how real people would react when trudging through decades worth of regrets and illusions.”
High Flying Bird — Review
André Holland in a scene from Steven Soderbergh’s High Flying Bird
“A movie about sports that doesn’t need to showcase a frame from an actual game to keep the viewer’s attention.”
BLOG: For Your Consideration – 5 Underseen Movies from 2018
by Ken Bakely
As the end of 2018 draws near, critics everywhere are drawing up lists and countdowns to commemorate the year in movies. While I plan to compile a traditional top 10 list, I still have a few 2018 releases to catch up on, and so I’m not ready to debut it just yet. However, I would like to take this opportunity to share capsule reviews on five movies from the past year that I didn’t have the chance to write full reviews for, but would strongly recommend seeking out before you fill out your own retrospectives for the year. They’re listed in alphabetical order.
Leave No Trace — Review
Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie and Ben Foster in a scene from Debra Granik’s Leave No Trace
“It’s a classic American story of endurance and family, but one critically stripped of ersatz mythology or neat resolutions.”
Madeline’s Madeline — Review
Helena Howard in a scene from Josephine Decker’s Madeline’s Madeline
“The movie’s very existence is a meta statement on its quest to operate on its own terms.”
The Kindergarten Teacher — Review
Maggie Gyllenhaal and Parker Sevak in a scene from Sara Colangelo’s The Kindergarten Teacher
“The movie is at its best at playing off individual moments and assembling larger observations from there, not of the other way around.”
First Reformed — Review
Ethan Hawke in a scene from Paul Schrader’s First Reformed
“One of the most pensive and unsparing films about faith in quite some time.”
Summer 1993 — Review
Laia Artigas in a scene from Carla Simón’s Summer 1993
“It’s a deeply empathetic work, using the directness of a child’s worldview to create a wholly uncluttered snapshot.”
You Were Never Really Here — Review
Joaquin Phoenix in a scene from Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here
