Month: January 2025

In the Welsh folk-horror “Rabbit Trap,” debuting director Bryn Chainey creates an disquieting acoustic atmosphere and guides his trio of actors to powerful performances. However, these flourishes serve a muddled piece that coasts on its interpretability alone. Its dramatic mechanics and aesthetics never quite coalesce into something appropriately visceral, spiritual, or meaningful, despite the story’s

Late in the incisive psychological drama “The Things You Kill,” Ali (Ekin Koç), a married man in his thirties, opens up about a traumatic episode in his childhood and the reasons why he decided to leave Turkey and study comparative literature in the U.S. The monologue is momentarily shot out of focus with his face

In the ever-expanding “Star Trek” universe — which next year enters its seventh earthly decade — there’s room for all kinds of celestial phenomena, including the occasional underwhelming dwarf star. That status is claimed by “Star Trek: Section 31,” the franchise’s first feature since “Beyond” nine years ago, and the first going directly to home

How many times can the characters say “cabbages” in a movie before making you want to throw cabbages at the screen? With “Bubble & Squeak,” writer-director Evan Twohy sets out to answer that question — and little else of relevance to contemporary audiences. Not all movies need to serve up profound insights into the human

Who among us, when we were young, did not annoy the cranky old geezer down the street? In some cases, you couldn’t help it, as there are some people who simply aren’t made for suburban living, terrifying the neighborhood kids by growling “Get off my lawn!” any time an oblivious child stepped foot on their

A dozen years ago, at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, I sat in the Eccles Theatre and watched “Fruitvale” (later entitled “Fruitvale Station”), Ryan Coogler’s true-life drama about Oscar Grant, a young man who was fatally shot by Bay Area police, even though he had done nothing. By the time the film ended, everyone in

John Lithgow joined the Variety Studio presented by Audible at Sundance and reacted to one of the biggest Oscar snubs of the year: “Conclave” filmmaker Edward Berger failing to land a nomination for best director. Lithgow has a key supporting role in the papal drama. “Conclave” received eight nominations, including best picture, and many prognosticators

Ronan Farrow revealed at the Variety Studio presented by Audible at Sundance that he was the one to gently nudge his mother, Mia Farrow, back into acting. Farrow spent last fall on Broadway opposite Patti Lupone in Jen Silverman’s play “The Roommate.” Prior to that, she had a supporting run on the Ryan Murphy-produced Netflix

The village is small and dense, lined with crumbling structures and the exploded remains of cars. The women, hanging laundry or selling American movies on DVD out of dusty briefcases, are suspicious. The men are outright paranoid, ducking down alleys or peering out of second-story windows. American troops patrol the area with assault rifles, where

Most folks seek escapism when going to the movies, while others get off on seeing other people’s anxiety, drawing either catharsis or comedy from the idea that someone else has it worse. Sporting a poisoned-fortune-cookie title like “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” there can be little question as to which category best describes

[Warning: This story contains mild spoilers for “Twinless,” which premiered on Thursday at Sundance Film Festival.] Dylan O’Brien reveled in the process of playing dual roles in “Twinless,” a twisted comedic drama about two friends who meet in a support group for people who lost a twin. The “Maze Runner” and “Teen Wolf” star portrays

Cynthia Erivo joined the Variety Studio presented by Audible at Sundance ahead of receiving the Visionary Award at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s gala fundraiser and said she doesn’t understand how “Wicked” landed 10 Oscar nominations, but not one for helmer Jon M. Chu in the best director category. Erivo is nominated for best actress,

After “Emilia Pérez” led the Oscar nominations with an impressive 13 nominations, it’s clear the film is being celebrated as a landmark moment for queer — and specifically trans — storytelling in cinema. Against the backdrop of a politically charged presidential election that saw Donald Trump re-elected, reigniting fears for trans and nonbinary individuals, the

Filming “Sukkwan Island,” a visceral psychological thriller premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, provided its French director Vladimir de Fontenay and everyone involved in the multi-national production with an epic yet transformative experience, mirroring that of the film’s protagonists. Adapted from David Vann’s harrowing “Legend of a Suicide,” “Sukkwan Island” tells the story of 13

Daisy Ridley‘s “Star Wars” movie is still alive. Lucasfilm has hired George Nolfi (“The Borne Ultimatum”) to write the script for the long-gestating follow-up to 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” which is still set to be the feature directorial debut for Oscar-winning documentarian Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. By the time Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy officially

“Hoops, Hopes & Dreams” may be a short film, but it has a lot of big ideas. At its core, it’s about how two leaders — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Obama — both made inroads in communities thanks to their love of playing basketball. Because of that, they were apt to meet those