Eddie Murphy Returns to Form (and Fun) in ‘Dolemite Is My Name’
Director Craig Brewer helms his breezy tribute to Rudy Ray Moore, the '70s Blaxploitation icon who influenced an entire generation of young Black performers, with Dolemite Is My Name.
comedy
Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Parasite’ Is a Uniquely Intelligent Satire
South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s latest film, Parasite, combines the epic class warfare of Snowpiercer with the zany activism of Okja, resulting in a brilliant, many-layered exploration of social stratification and capitalism.
Spike Lee’s ‘Do the Right Thing’ Remains Explosive and Vivid
The Criterion Collection's essential 30th anniversary Blu-ray package of Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing honors the film's heart, aesthetic brilliance, and pointed message on American racism, diversity, and community.
The Corrosive Veneer of John Waters’ Polyester
Unlike his earlier provocations, John Waters' Polyester suggests that moral depravity may be liberating for the person willing to embrace it, but it always gives rise to pain elsewhere.
Deadpool and Ryan Reynolds’ 11-Year Love Affair
If the best measure of success for a comic book film is how well it captures the tone for the central character, then Ryan Reynold's beloved character in Deadpool makes it among the greatest superhero films of all time.
Sub-Atomic Particles and Brilliant Heist Sequences: ‘Ant-Man’ Masters the Tiny Universe
There are strong emotional stakes and likeable characters in Peyton Reed's Ant-Man, but they are all rooted in a, well, less than epic scale. This makes Ant-Man refreshing, an MCU palate cleanser.
‘Toy Story 4’ and the Consolation of Uselessness
Josh Cooley's addition to the Toy Story universe is injected with something altogether more cosmic in scope than the previous films -- a comedic reverie of all things disintegratory.
A Private Revolution: Jean-Luc Godard’s Second Wave
Jean-Luc Godard's cinematic oddities First Name: Carmen, Détective, and Hélas pour moi, newly released on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, embody the vast landscape of possibilities open to the director during the '80s and '90s.
How Bruce Springsteen-Inspired Film, ‘Blinded by the Light’, Came to Light
Director Gurinder Chadha and author/journalist Sarfraz Manzoor discuss the culture clash that inspired their film, ‘Blinded by the Light’.
‘Heaven Can Wait’ and Lubitsch’s Love of Romance’s Paradoxes
Heaven Can Wait is Lubitsch’s most successful film due to his ability to turn a period-piece into an enchanting story about the human condition.