‘While We’re Young’ Satirically Skews Gen Xers and Millennial Hipsters
While We’re Young is less about "acting your age" and more about embracing your authentic self.
Jon Lisi
Jon Lisi writes about film and television. He lives in New York City.
‘The Bridge’ Shows a Forgotten Side of Nazi Germany’s Final Days
The Bridge, which tells the story of the Volkssturm in the final days of the Nazi party, is classic work of art.
The Funny Vignettes in ‘Wild Tales’ Are Rooted in Anger, Frustration, and Misery
The Argentinian anthology film Wild Tales is proof that the most compelling artists, in this case director Damián Szifron, channel their rage into their work.
‘Judgment at Nuremberg’ Shows the Cost of Not Caring
Judgement at Nuremberg is a reminder that the courtroom drama is Hollywood’s most underrated and underused genre.
Criterion Puts Charlie Chaplin in a Different ‘Limelight’
Criterion's official release of Limelight should finally give Charlie Chaplin the proper recognition he deserves for his sound films.
Nobody Won the ‘War for the Soul of America’
Andrew Hartman’s engaging exploration of the culture wars confirms that the conflicts will never be resolved because both sides are too extreme for America's moderate middle-ground.
In ‘The Bridges of Madison County’, Meryl Streep Proves She Is the Author of Her Films
It takes a superior actress to convey a character’s entire history in one scene, and in this film, at least, Meryl Streep does it masterfully.
‘Leviathan’ Is a Kafkaesque Nightmare in Russia
Combine Orson Welles’ The Trial with Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, throw in some nods to Job and Thomas Hobbes, and you get Leviathan.
The Pro-War Verus Anti-War Debate on ‘American Sniper’ Misses the Point
It’s impossible to observe sniper Chris Kyle’s (Bradley Cooper) gradual descent into madness and believe that Clint Eastwood promotes an explicitly pro-war message.
‘Still Alice’ Tells the Story of Alzheimer’s From the Patient’s Perspective
Still Alice is a perceptive film about the tragic ways illness impacts identity, and Julianne Moore is the sole reason for its success.
No ‘White Saviors’ Overtake the Powerful and Illuminating ‘Selma’
Selma reclaims ownership of the Civil Rights movement for the courageous African-Americans that fought on the front lines, rather than the self-proclaimed white saviors that risked nothing but a bid for re-election.