Review: Tuner
Daniel Roher, known for Oscar‑winning documentaries, makes his narrative debut with the thriller Tuner. The film follows New York piano‑tuner Niki White, whose hyperacusis gives him perfect pitch and an uncanny ability to crack safes, pulling him into a world of petty theft, romance, and danger. Critics praise Johnnie Burn’s immersive sound design and the movie’s kinetic editing, noting its seamless shift between comedy, thriller, and drama. Tuner opens in select cities tomorrow and goes nationwide on May 29, earning a B+ from the Los Angeles Times.
Review: Magic Hour
Magic Hour, a new Duplass Brothers indie romance starring Katie Aselton and Daveed Diggs, unfolds in a Joshua Tree house where a couple confronts a hidden rift. The film blends talk‑y, low‑key drama with a surprise emotional turn, supported by intimate cinematography...
The Best Movies to Buy or Stream This Week: Peter Hujar’s Diary, Dracula, The Big Combo, and More
The weekly column spotlights the most compelling home‑entertainment releases, with the 4K UHD restoration of 1955 noir classic The Big Combo as the pick of the week. It also highlights a range of titles across formats—from Ira Sachs’s intimate reenactment Peter Hujar’s Day...
Practice Makes Perfect in The Piano Teacher
Michael Haneke’s 2001 film The Piano Teacher, adapted from Elfriede Jelinek’s Nobel‑winning novel, premiered at Cannes and earned Isabelle Huppert a Best Actress award. The austere drama follows Erika Kohut, a disciplined conservatory teacher whose repressed sexuality erupts into a...
Review: Blue Film
Elliott Tuttle’s indie arthouse drama *Blue Film* follows Aaron, a Los Angeles cam‑girl‑turned‑sex‑worker, as he meets a mysterious client for a $50,000 night. The film unfolds as a two‑hander, probing power dynamics, honesty, and intimacy between Aaron (Kieron Moore) and his...
Classic Corner: The Big Clock
John Farrow’s 1948 noir *The Big Clock* centers on a literal, towering clock inside Janoth Publications, where editor George Stroud (Ray Milland) becomes the prime suspect in a murder he didn’t commit. After a brief encounter with Pauline York, a...
Review: Hokum
"Hokum," the latest horror film from director Damian McCarthy, debuted in theaters this weekend, running 105 minutes and starring Adam Scott as the troubled novelist Ohm Bauman. The story follows Bauman’s journey to a remote Irish hotel to scatter his parents’ ashes,...
American Dream: The Timely Return Of An Oscar-Winning Documentary
Barbara Kopple’s documentary *American Dream* chronicles the 1985‑86 Hormel meat‑packing strike in Austin, Minnesota, highlighting workers’ battle against wage cuts despite the company’s $30 million annual profit. The Oscar‑winning film, shot in grainy 16 mm cinema‑vérité style, follows the strike’s human toll...
Review: Over Your Dead Body
Jorma Taccone’s long‑awaited feature *Over Your Dead Body* adapts the Norwegian thriller *I onde dager* into a black‑comedy murder‑marriage satire starring Jason Segel and Samara Weaving. The film mixes over‑the‑top gore with rapid‑fire jokes, delivering a high laughs‑per‑minute ratio despite...
Beautiful Mediocrity: Mulholland Falls at 30
*Mulholland Falls* turned 30 this year, a 1996 neo‑noir that assembled a high‑profile cast and veteran cinematographer Haskell Wexler but slipped into obscurity after a muted box‑office debut. Directed by Lee Tamahori, fresh from New Zealand success, and scripted by National...
Classic Corner: Bad Day at Black Rock
John Sturges’s 1957 film *Bad Day at Black Rock* follows war‑scarred veteran Macreedy, played by Spencer Tracy, as he confronts a hostile desert town that hides the murder of a Japanese‑American farmer’s father. The movie fuses Western, film‑noir, and social‑justice...
The Best Movies to Buy or Stream This Week: Christy, Gilda, Trouble in Paradise, and More
The weekly column spotlights the most compelling titles to buy or stream, ranging from classic 4K restorations to fresh originals on major platforms. It highlights Criterion’s 4K upgrade of Ernst Lubitsch’s *Trouble in Paradise* and the noir classic *Gilda*, while...
James and the Giant Peach at 30: A Musically Disappointing Sophomore Slump
Disney’s 1996 stop‑motion adaptation of Roald Dahl’s *James and the Giant Peach* turned 30, yet it never matched the cult status of *The Nightmare Before Christmas*. The film paired Henry Selick’s direction and Tim Burton’s production with a voice cast...
The Road Not Taken: Jeff Nichols’s Midnight Special 10 Years On
Jeff Nichols’s 2016 sci‑fi road drama Midnight Special opened with a $20 million budget but earned under $10 million worldwide, far short of Warner Bros.’ expectations for a $100 million‑plus blockbuster. The studio’s focus on high‑budget franchise returns clashed with Nichols’s intent to...
Shadow of a Doubt: The Enduring Mysteries of Exit Through the Gift Shop
A March 13 Reuters investigation claims the elusive street artist Banksy is Robin Gunningham, who now operates under the name David Jones. The report arrives as the mystery surrounding Banksy fuels the cult status of his 2010 film *Exit Through the Gift...