‘First Man’ is one small step for space-program cinema, one giant leap for insight into Neil Armstrong (Movie review)
After his love letters to jazz — “Whiplash” (2014) and “La La Land” (2016) — a film fan wouldn’t be surprised if director Damien Chazelle’s next movie was about Louis Armstrong. But “First Man” (2018) instead chronicles Neil Armstrong, and while it might seem like the pantheon of historical space-program cinema doesn’t need another recounting
‘The Post’ reviews
John’s “The Post” review, Jan. 21, 2018 Michael’s “The Post” review, Top 20 films of 2017, Jan. 21, 2018
‘The Post’ fondly recalls the old days of a respected press, war protests (Movie review)
One of my bosses encouraged us to attend “The Post” (2017) – which recently got a wide theatrical release – to rekindle our passion for newspapering. The film encourages some of that spirit, no doubt, but overall it left me sad. It’s a great movie about the Washington Post’s decision to publish highlights of the Top
‘Spotlight’ is a crisply crafted thank-you letter to investigative journalism (Movie review)
“Spotlight” almost brought tears to my eyes with the way it respectfully portrays the Boston Globe’s 2001-02 investigation into the Boston Catholic church’s systemic sexual abuse of children by its priests. In the vein of “All the President’s Men” and “Zodiac,” “Spotlight” is a procedural about the down-and-dirty details of investigative newspaper work, and it might
WikiLeaks drama ‘The Fifth Estate’ not quite as great as the ideas in it (Movie review)
“The Fifth Estate” is the liberty-themed movie I was most looking forward to this year. But while it is too loaded with important ideas to dismiss entirely, it is rather disappointing coming on the heels of last year’s very good school-choice-themed “Won’t Back Down” and 2010’s engrossing “The Social Network,” about the rise of Facebook.
In search of the next ‘Lost?’ It’s already here, and it’s called ‘Fringe’ (TV commentary)
A recent issue of Entertainment Weekly examined networks’ efforts to find the next “Lost,” in terms of both quality and ratings, and determined that nothing fits the bill. I disagree: “Fringe” (8 p.m. Thursdays on Fox) — like “Lost,” produced by J.J. Abrams — is as good as “Lost” (maybe better), and it’s successful enough that it has been