★★★★★ Amid the tired and unsatisfying crowd of coming-of-age movies and high school romantic comedies plaguing the 2010s, “Love, Simon” is a refreshing breath of authentic, modern and unapologetic gay teenage identity. Set in a picturesque Atlanta suburb, “Love, Simon” tells the story of 17-year-old Simon Spier, played by Nick[Read More…]
★★★☆☆ Best known for genre-defining Hollywood classics like “E.T. the Extraterrestrial” and “Jurassic Park,” Steven Spielberg brings Ernest Cline’s 2011 bestselling novel to life with his latest venture, “Ready Player One.” Despite clear deviations from the source material, the movie enhances the book’s plot by addressing the flaws in characterization[Read More…]
★★★☆☆ Anchored by the charismatic John Boyega of “Star Wars” fame, “Pacific Rim Uprising” is an enjoyable, stylish and fast-paced ride teeming with action, but ultimately fails to live up to its 2013 predecessor “Pacific Rim.” Boyega stars as the son of the fallen General Stacker Pentecost, played by Idris[Read More…]
Screening over 100 films at nearly 30 locations across Washington, D.C., the D.C. Environmental Film Festival is informing and impressing audiences from March 15 to 25 with a broad selection of environmental cinema. The DCEFF, now in its 26th year, is the largest film festival in the District and the[Read More…]
★★★★★ Back in 2015, director Alex Garland made his debut with surprise hit “Ex Machina,” which blended compelling visuals with a poignant discussion of sentience, transcending the modern science fiction genre. Garland’s latest film “Annihilation,” based off Jeff VanderMeer’s 2014 eponymous novel, further expands the definition of science fiction, while[Read More…]
★★★☆☆ Departing from the painfully unwatchable original films, Alicia Vikander ushers the “Tomb Raider” franchise into a new era as the lead, Lara Croft, in director Roar Uthaug’s fantastical adaptation of Crystal Dynamics’ popular video game series. “Tomb Raider” follows Lara, the aimless, rebellious daughter of a long-missing adventurer, who[Read More…]
★★☆☆☆ “Why am I always getting screwed for doing my job?” wonders earnest businessman Harold Soyinka, played by David Oyelowo, in the beginning of the second act of “Gringo.” “Gringo,” director Nash Edgerton’s second feature film after “The Square,” spends 110 minutes on the twists and gore of the “always[Read More…]
★★★★★ “Loveless” paints a bleak, captivating portrait of the painful anger of a broken family and of humanity’s capacity for connection and love. The Russian-language film, subtitled in English, tells the story of a 12-year-old boy, Alexey, who disappears after overhearing a brutal fight between his divorcing parents. As the[Read More…]
“No need to go anywhere,” Holly, a widow living in St. Louis, Mo., says after just discovering a young black man sleeping on her roof. “Just come eat the breakfast.” The young man she addresses, named Eugene, is on the run for reasons that are only revealed near the end[Read More…]
★★★★☆ A dark, caustically comedic film that breathes new life into the classic dinner party pressure cooker trope, “The Party” is a satirical, witty airing of dirty laundry. The newest release by experimental filmmaker Sally Potter, “The Party” peels back the layers of middle-class elitism to reveal its hidden acidity.[Read More…]
DIRECTOR’S CUT: Peter Jackson’s ‘They Shall Not Grow Old’ Humanizes Western Front Soldiers 
McCarrick Removed From Priesthood; GU Continues Review of Honorary Degree 
Film Influences Understanding of Racial Prejudice, Director Says 
Photos of the Week: Feb. 15 
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