Alci Rengifo
‘A Complete Unknown’: James Mangold’s Enigmatically Engrossing Portrait of a Young Bob Dylan
A Complete Unknown • Published on December 2024
Bob Dylan has always been a mystery. So much has been written about the American music giant whose songs are a catalog of classics and who made history as the first songwriter to…
‘Nosferatu’: Robert Eggers’ Vivid Dracula Reimagining Drips With Gothic Terror and Erotic Tension
Bill Skarsgard) • Published on December 2024
Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu” lives entirely in its gothic atmosphere. Most Dracula fans know that the inspiration behind this film is F.W. Murnau’s 1922 classic of the same name, considered one of the…
‘Mufasa: The Lion King’: Barry Jenkins’ Visual Elegance Is Not Enough To Redeem This Whimpering Franchise Expansion
Barry Jenkins • Published on December 2024
No one milks the franchise machine quite like Disney with their endless sequels and prequels. “Mufasa: The Lion King” is, as the title announces, a prequel to “The Lion King.” Not the…
‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ Bests Its Predecessors With More High-Octane Action and Heart
Ben Schwartz • Published on December 2024
You might walk into “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” expecting the usual gags and laughs from the last two movies based on the famous Sega game. Instead, this is a slightly darker, existential…
‘The Brutalist’: Brady Corbet’s Awe-Inspiring American Epic About the Immigrant Experience
Adrien Brody • Published on December 2024
In the style of some grand American novel, Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” paints a sweeping portrait that attempts to encompass a whole panorama about this country through one life. Ambition, classism, capitalism,…
‘The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim’: Tolkien’s World as a Sweeping Anime Adventure
Brian Cox • Published on December 2024
Some art forms and genres are made for each other. “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” is a stirring, gloriously entertaining new take on J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic fantasy…
‘Nickel Boys’: RaMell Ross Transforms Colson Whitehead’s Acclaimed Novel Into a Searing Human Chronicle of Survival
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor • Published on December 2024
Nations can have so many skeletons in the closet of history that only art can illuminate their bones. “Nickel Boys” could have easily sensationalized its material, which looks into the harsh, racist…
‘No Good Deed’: Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano Are a Wonderfully Flawed Couple Unloading a Home With a Dark Secret
Abbi Jacobson • Published on December 2024
In a city like Los Angeles, those capable of buying an upscale house are part of a small group. The demand for a high-end 1920s Spanish-style property in Los Feliz becomes a darkly…
‘Maria’: Pablo Larraín Paints a Melancholic Portrait of Maria Callas Through a Towering Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie • Published on December 2024
The greatest among us can sometimes be complete enigmas. We would like to know what makes them tick. There may be clues along the way, but it can remain as mysterious as the…
Sweeping Adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez’s ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ Flows Between Grit and Fantasy
Features • Published on December 2024
“Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.” The opening line of Gabriel García Márquez’s…
‘Nightbitch’: A Feral Amy Adams Roars With Suburban Fury at the Woes of Modern Motherhood
Amy Adams • Published on December 2024
The frustrated white suburbanite has become a staple of American fiction. Every society has its woes, and having the perfect home in a pristine neighborhood doesn’t guarantee happiness. “Nightbitch” is another parable…
‘The Return’ Reunites Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche for a Stark Retelling of Homer’s Epic
Features • Published on December 2024
Uberto Pasolini’s “The Return” faithfully follows the final steps in Homer’s epic poem the “Odyssey.” Because we are used to knowing this story mainly as Greek myth, Pasolini’s stark approach feels more…
From ‘Challengers’ to ‘Queer,’ Writer Justin Kuritzkes on His Breakthrough Year in Film
Celine Song • Published on November 2024
This has been quite a year for writer Justin Kuritzkes. The playwright, novelist and screenwriter has been launched to the forefront of arthouse cinema with director Luca Guadagnino. Early in the year, Kuritzkes’…
Daniel Craig Is Phenomenally Tragic in Luca Guadagnino’s Hallucinatory Imagining of Burroughs’ ‘Queer’
Daniel Craig • Published on November 2024
In modern literature there are few figures like William S. Burroughs. He was a major talent defined by his place in the Beat movement and his tragic image as a man wrecked by…
‘Flow’ Filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis on His Wonderfully Immersive Ecological Fable About Solidarity
Features • Published on November 2024
For Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis, telling a story does not always require communication through words. He likes the way an expression in the eyes or a gesture can convey so much. In his…
Denzel Washington and Colosseum Sharks Chew Up the Scenery in Ridley Scott’s Massive ‘Gladiator II’
Connie Nielsen • Published on November 2024
Like the Roman emperors, Ridley Scott surely made “Gladiator II” only because he could. It has been 24 years since the massive success of his original “Gladiator,” which was a box office…
‘Wicked’: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Are Magnificent in Jon M. Chu’s Soaring Adaptation of Hit Musical
Ariana Grande • Published on November 2024
A good villain is never born. They are made. The great appeal of “Wicked” is how it takes a classic villain from our collective memories and genuinely humanizes her. As a musical,…
HBO’s ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Trades Galactic Action for the Sisterhood With Impressive Scale
Dune • Published on November 2024
Spinoffs have become a required touch for any major franchise. When Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” films premiered to acclaim and strong box office returns, as well as an instant fan base, there was no…
‘Red One’ Takes the Christmas Cheer Out of Santa Claus
Chris Evans • Published on November 2024
Even Santa Claus has been unsafe from the odd trends dominating franchises and corporate attempts at establishing brand “universes.” Consider “Red One,” an expensive, jacked up production that seems to believe Christmas…
Eddie Redmayne Is a Cold Killer in Stylishly Sharp ‘The Day of the Jackal’ Adaptation
Eddie Redmayne • Published on November 2024
Peacock’s gripping adaptation of “The Day of the Jackal” may attract some viewers out of sheer name recognition. Its title is taken from the classic 1971 novel by Frederick Forsyth, which has…