Juliet, Naked strips romance down to nagging self-doubt
Movie review: Juliet, Naked
Director Jesse Peretz brings alt-rock authenticity to Nick Hornby’s story of a singer-songwriter who fell off the map, only to be rediscovered by the long-suffering partner of an obsessive fan. Ethan Hawke and Chris O’Dowd offer pure performance, but it’s Rose Byrne’s quiet navigation of personal desire that redeems the ego-fest.
Crazy Rich Asians takes rom-com for a luxury ride
Movie review: Crazy Rich Asians
Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the Kevin Kwan bestseller proves money trumps ethnicity and genre is universal as we watch a Romeo and Juliet romance unravel in the middle of Singapore.
Dog Days lifts a leg on Hollywood hydrant
Movie review: Dog Days
A fluffy version of Crash for canines features the lives and leashes of various Angelenos intertwining, without once pausing to smell its own assumptions.
BlacKkKlansman gets under the all-white hood
Movie Review: BlacKkKlansman
Spike Lee's movie, based on the true story of a black policeman who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan, focuses on America’s enduring cultural history of racism.
Puzzle puzzles but finds an odd fit
Movie review: Puzzle
Marc Turtletaub’s English remake of an Argentine art-house favourite is a pretty box of carefully crafted small moments that form a big picture of a still life.
The Rock hits Skyscraper, doesn’t break window
Movie Review: Skyscraper
Dwayne Johnson holds everything together by one hand in a predictable popcorn pleaser that turns Titanic on its side and accidentally stumbles into political metaphor. Yet, for all the non-stop action, the movie placed third in its opening weekend.
Leave No Trace Gets Lost on Purpose
Movie Review: Leave No Trace
Ben Foster and Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie take on the weight of a father and daughter looking for a place to call home in world that wavers between ambivalence and hostility.
Tim Wardle’s life changed at the hands of Three Identical Strangers
People: Interview with documentary director Tim Wardle
When he first heard the story of triplets separated at birth and placed in different families, British director Tim Wardle knew it should be a movie. He didn’t know others had tried, and hit a wall of orchestrated silence. His new documentary takes us inside a secret ‘Twin Study’ and the shocking experience of three unwitting subjects.
Boundaries Refuses to Keep Its Distance
Movie Review: Boundaries
Shana Feste smashes a piñata full of dysfunctional family cliche and finds enough sweet stuff to keep Vera Farmiga and Christopher Plummer busy on the road to forgiveness.
Uncle Drew Dribbles Pepsi’s Ball
Movie Review: Uncle Drew
A viral digital campaign featuring Kyrie Irving as an old baller gets blown up for the big screen, but its message of athletic purity feels hypocritical in light of endless logos.
