Life
Fine portrait of Frank Zappa could have used more music
Frank Zappa is a great name—catchy and exotic. Somehow it suits an avant-garde outsider-artist rock-and-roll satirist.
Life
Woody Allen’s ‘Café Society’ loses momentum
In “Annie Hall,” Los Angeles is “a city where the only cultural advantage is being able to make…
Life
‘Lights Out’: Horror movie premise simple but effective
For a little boy named Martin, it should be nice when his single mom suggests watching a movie…
Life
‘Ghostbusters’ redo works very well with kooky female cast
In answer to the musical question, “Who you gonna call?”, Sony Pictures has given a novel answer. You…
Life
Counterculture humor carries ‘Captain Fantastic’
In “Captain Fantastic,” the winner of this year’s SIFF Golden Space Needle award, Viggo Mortensen finds a role…
Life
‘Life, Animated’ documentary full of warmth
We all know grown-ups who are obsessed with Disney movies. Maybe you are one of them.
Life
‘Infiltrator’: Crime saga could have used more time
If anybody can savor name-above-the-title movie stardom, it’s a lifelong character actor. Maybe that’s why Bryan Cranston looks…
Life
‘The Fits’ immerses viewers in the world of girldom
One of the ways you can spot a strong new movie director is by listening to what she…
Life
‘Mike and Dave’ serves up gender-blind raunch
In its bold proclamation that women can be just as moronic as men, “Mike and Dave Need Wedding…
Life
Discover why ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’ is Kiwis’ favorite film
No wonder “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” has been recently crowned the most popular homegrown movie ever released in…
Life
Movie review: ’Les Cowboys’ is a surprise — and a real journey
The reason I like to know as little as possible about a movie before I see it (I…
Life
Spielbergian touches elevate Dahl classic ‘BFG’
Just after we’ve first seen the Big Friendly Giant — teased in a series of shadowy glimpses as…
Life
Reboot turns Tarzan into anti-colonial superhero
I always thought the appeal of Tarzan is that the guy is totally free. He does what he…
Life
Election-year ‘Purge’ eventually gets around to the mayhem
It takes a while, but by the time the political elite gather in a church and begin washing…
Life
Zany ‘Swiss Army Man’ is certain to become a cult classic
I can’t help liking a movie in which the hero delivers a philosophical, reflective speech while being slowly…
Life
‘Wiener-Dog’ has compelling dialogue but it’s a brutal story
If you love dogs, skip this movie. That seems like a fair way to begin talking about “Wiener-Dog.”
Life
Horror goes arthouse in ‘Neon Demon’
The first line of dialogue in “The Neon Demon” is a relatively innocent one: “Am I staring?”