The Favourite is a feast fit for a queen.
Abigail has fallen far from her position as a Lady in 17th Century England. Desperate, she seeks a job from her cousin Lady Marlborough—Queen Anne’s best friend and counselor. Outside the palace, England seeks to end its war with France. Inside, a war begins for the Queen’s affection.
This movie is gorgeous in every way. From beginning to end, it is thoughtful, stimulating, and bitingly funny.
Downsizing is a dramedy about being small. Its ideas are big.
Paul Safranek is humble to a fault, and so, he has regrets. Shrinking himself could be a fresh start though: His money would go farther, and his carbon footprint would disappear. The change might finally allow Paul to feel that his life has been worthwhile. That’s assuming it all goes as planned…
This movie has a manic vibe: It jumps from light-hearted to existential, from funny to depressing, without notice. This can be jarring. And, the movie is a bit long. Aside from all that, though, is a pretty story.
To artist Vincent Van Gogh, life was bursting with beauty. If only people had taken the time to notice…
We take in Van Gogh nice and slowly, as he takes in the world. Then things change. He’s got to move, to paint fast, now. Maybe he’s going crazy. Or maybe, he has a profound reason for it all.
This movie was shot with an artist’s eye. The image can be beautiful and unsettling all at once.
Ocean’s Eight is an outfit of professional thieves. Each on her own possesses great skill, but to steal from what is arguably the most exclusive party on the planet, combined skills are needed.
This movie has a couple of twists, though they might not be enough to keep you from guessing the ending.
Why would a man and his daughter want to Leave No Trace of their existence?
Will, a veteran, cares about his daughter, Tom. He tries to raise her right. And maybe, he’s doing a good job. But some people—including the government—disagree. This starts to weigh more heavily on the family with each passing day.
Like its Pacific Northwest setting, this movie is lush and cold and raw and warm. Tom’s acting is top notch.
A poor family must do what it can to survive. The jobs range from backbreaking to unsavory—and sometimes, just plain illegal. And yet, maybe it’s what these people do when they aren’t hustling that defines them.
This fiction is as real as it gets. It will make you think twice about a lot of things.
Outlaw King is based on true events.
The Scottish and the English have feuded for years, at great cost. An uneasy peace now exists, with England in charge. But for how long will the Scots allow a foreign tyrant to rule?
The sets and settings will transport you to medieval Scotland. Some (though not all) of the acting will, too.
This is a movie about a movie about a movie. It gets more confusing.
For years, Hollywood blacklisted Orson Welles. Never mind that many critics believed his Citizen Kane to be the greatest movie ever made. Deeply hurt by this mistreatment, the aging director tried one last time to be accepted by the mainstream.
With wonderfully edited footage, we learn about Welles’ last work—and really, about one complicated man.
This teen looks like an angel from a Renaissance painting. He doesn’t act like one.
Carlitos loves to steal. It makes him feel alive. And his unassuming baby face makes it easy. So why not chase the feeling? Consequences are for suckers.
It may be best to watch this movie remembering our boy’s mantra: Don’t ask questions, just live.
Du Qiu is a corporate lawyer who has saved his company from ruin. The future is bright. Then, Qiu’s spotless record is called into question. Soon enough, both his company and the authorities are out for blood. Does our lawyer have enough brains to survive? Does he deserve to?
This movie has a fun multicultural aspect, with alternating Mandarin, Japanese, and English lines. But little character development and lots of unbelievable interactions make it more silly than serious.
The Train to Busan might be the only way to hide from the zombies.
Workaholic Seok-woo has neglected his daughter for the last time. Soo-an is fed up, and demands to see her mother in Busan. Dad obliges, buying two train tickets. Why, then, is Soo-an still so upset? A zombie infection tearing through the population might have something to do with it.
This is a good, exciting story. And the movie doesn’t rely on jump scares or manipulative music.
Neil Armstrong was the first human to set foot on the moon. First Man is the story of what it took to get there.
Neil was a hard worker and a family man. But rocket science was difficult work—for him, his family, and countless others. While we already know the ending to this story, we now get to learn a bit more about the journey.
This is a movie made tenderly, and with respect. Though it’s a simple story, it is beautiful, and makes us think about the big questions: Why do we do what we do? Who do we do it for?
Based on a true story, this movie shows Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette living life to the fullest at the turn of the 20th century.
Colette is a small town girl with big charms. She makes her way to Paris, and is immediately adopted by high society. For several reasons, she becomes the talk of the town. But not all news is good news.
This movie shows more than it tells: We see Colette’s surroundings and reactions, but we don’t hear her inner struggle.
In A Wrinkle in Time, a girl journeys through space-time to find her father.
Meg is a brilliant, sad young girl. She and her family are considered “weird.” Things don’t get any easier when Meg’s father goes missing. To overcome these challenges, Meg must learn to trust—something difficult to do when one feels unwanted in the universe.
This movie tries too hard to be cool and heartfelt. Too bad, because there is a worthwhile moral to the story.
This movie is a meditation on mountains and their relationship with humankind.
Beautiful montages are the star here. The narration can be informative, too. But it can also be distracting, especially when the stilted poetry comes in.
Free Solo may be the most heart-pounding movie you’ll ever see.
Alex Honnold is a quiet, unassuming man; thoughtful and practical. But what he does for a living is rock-climb thousands of feet into the air without any safety gear. By following Honnold on his latest quest, and through interviews with family and friends, this movie responds to some of the burning questions that such behavior elicits.
Psychological study aside, this movie is a must-watch simply because seeing Honnold in his element is such a unique, exhilarating experience.
The Sisters Brothers is not your average Western.
The Commodore has given assassins Eli and Charlie Sisters another job. It’s more of the same for the brothers. But for us, each day is a new, surprisingly evocative experience.
Everything about this movie is excellent: the writing; the editing; the cinematography; the acting; the music.
Amy tells the story of renowned singer Amy Winehouse.
Through a montage of home videos and photos, we learn about Amy’s yin-yang life of success and hardship.
It is a powerful, powerfully sad movie. Amy will make you smile throughout.
In Lincoln, the famed president and his supporters struggle through difficult decision-making during the latter part of the American Civil War.
President Lincoln has a very high approval rating, and wants to leverage it. He hopes that the American people will approve a thirteenth constitutional amendment freeing the slaves. Even with such a high approval rating, the road to persuasion is long and treacherous.
The movie can drag, and lay on the sentiment thick. But more often than not it feels raw and real.
Mission Impossible: Fallout is impressively exciting.
Ethan Hunt spies for an agency concerned with only the most difficult of missions. His current mission is to thwart an army of assassins lead by an unknown mastermind possessing nuclear weapons.
The movie surprises again and again without inducing eye rolls—something difficult to do given the arguably comical premise.