SERGEANT YORK (1941)

I have some thoughts about our American entry’s take on the intersection and patriotism, and also on the completely ridiculous accents basically everyone in this movie has. A lot of people like it though!

CYRANO DE BERGERAC (1950)

With the latest in a long history of “Cyrano” adaptations currently in theaters (somewhere), we revisit perhaps the most faithful adaptation of the original play, for which José Ferrer became the first Hispanic actor to win an Oscar.

LILIES OF THE FIELD (1963)

Sidney Poitier, who passed away earlier this month, became the first Black actor ever to win a Best Actor Oscar for his role as a handyman helping out a bunch of nuns in the desert.

THE MATRIX (1999)

Perhaps the definitive modern action movie, and also maybe the one with the action sequences that I have loved most over the years, which somehow also has literally many treatises’ worth of material going on just below the surface.

TARGETS (1968)

A prescient thriller (sort of) about a mass shooter and also an aging movie star played by Boris Karloff, which happened to be the directorial debut of Peter Bogdanovich.

NEW MOVIE TIME CAPSULE!

Our new feature has our capsule thoughts on new movies in theaters and on streaming, in this case featuring three great women directors and also a new/old take on Shakespeare

A BEAUTIFUL MIND (2001)

Our “Film Odyssey” closes with the 2001 Best Picture winner, the rare biopic with a massive plot twist stuck in the middle.

DONNIE DARKO (2001)

A mentally ill teenager from the 80s experiences bizarre events and a guy in a creepy bunny suit, in a movie that works more on a vibes level than on an actually making sense level.

THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (2001)

Perhaps the definitive Wes Anderson movie is about a New York family with, um, some issues. How willing you are to get on the movie’s wavelength will probably determine whether you love it or remain baffled.

MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001)

In which I finally find a movie too weird for me, or perhaps more accurately, a movie that left me wondering what all of its weirdness was actually in service of.