The Earthling (1980)

The Earthling (1980)

[8] The Earthling is an odd, disconcerting sort of film that nevertheless casts a spell and is a bit hard to shake when it's over. It stars William Holden (Sunset Boulevard) in his penultimate film performance, playing a terminally ill…
The Holdovers (2023)

The Holdovers (2023)

[9] One of the surest ways a film can win my heart is by letting me into the lives of characters aching for healing who achieve genuine, emotional human connection. It's why I love films like Pump Up the Volume,…
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

[8] Writer/director Quentin Tarantino wraps up his cartoonish revenge tale with all the returning cast and crew. Vol. 2 is less visceral and more character-oriented than Vol. 1, taking us back to the fateful day when the eponymous Bill ordered…
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

[8] Uma Thurman stars as an assassin doling out hot vengeance on the colleagues who betrayed her when she tried to come clean and start a peaceful, civilian lifestyle. After being shot in the head and losing her unborn child…
All of Us Strangers (2023)

All of Us Strangers (2023)

[10] Most films are designed with universal appeal to attract the widest possible audience. But some of the most powerful films you'll ever see are the ones -- the very rare few -- written and directed with such specificity and…
Tár (2022)

Tár (2022)

[8] [This review contains spoilers.] Cate Blanchett stars as a fictional celebrated conductor whose life begins to unravel after an alleged affair with a music student comes to light. Her character, Lydia Tár, breaks the glass ceiling in the rarified…
Barbarian (2022)

Barbarian (2022)

[8] Barbarian is about the worst Airbnb rental in the history of the universe. Writer/director Zach Cregger builds suspense from the get-go, with co-stars Georgina Campbell and Bill SkarsgÃ¥rd giving convincing performances as strangers double-booked at a house in the…
Pieces of April (2003)

Pieces of April (2003)

[8] Katie Holmes and Patricia Clarkson lead an ensemble cast in this quaint but compelling drama/comedy about a 'black sheep' daughter (Holmes) who tries like Hell to host Thanksgiving dinner for her visiting family. Neither Holmes nor her estranged family…
The Women (1939)

The Women (1939)

[8] Norma Shearer (The Divorcee) fronts an all-star, all-female cast in George Cukor's adaptation of Clare Boothe Luce's The Women. Shearer plays a happily married woman of privilege who learns through the gossipy grapevine that her husband is having an…
We Own the Night (2007)

We Own the Night (2007)

[8] Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg star as brothers working on different sides of the law in this crime drama from writer/director James Gray (Ad Astra, The Lost City of Z). Wahlberg's character follows in the footsteps of their father…