In the Hindi-language film “Superboys of Malegaon,” a wedding videographer named Nasir (Adarsh Gourav) dreams of making movies that will transform his brother’s video parlor in the western Indian city of Malegaon into a movie theater, packed like the one across the street. For this fool’s errand, he enlists his closest friends. A love letter … Read more
“Rats!”, a gross-out action-comedy in the vein of “Pineapple Express” and “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,” throws us back into the suburban-youth aesthetics of the mid-aughts: its Hot Topic threads, pop-punk music and chintzy stoner décor. Set in a fictional version of Fresno, Tex., called Pfresno, circa 2007, this underdog caper also satirizes … Read more
Although Gene Hackman, who died at age 95, was one of Hollywood’s most enduring and recognizable stars, it was nearly impossible to put the actor in a box. In a five-decade career, he portrayed cops, villains and men of the cloth, in thrillers, comedies and superhero blockbusters. His accolades included two Academy Awards and four … Read more
✓ “Anora” “The Brutalist” “A Complete Unknown” “Conclave” “Dune: Part Two” “Emilia Pérez” “I’m Still Here” “Nickel Boys” “The Substance” “Wicked” After a few years where the best picture winner was practically ordained from the start of the season, at least this race has given us some twists and turns. First, there was the saga … Read more
I can’t swear to it, but I have a suspicion that Woody Harrelson signed on to star in the deep-sea adventure “Last Breath” only when assured he wouldn’t have to submerge so much as a toenail in water. As Duncan Allcock, the leader of a three-man dive team on a perilous North Sea mission, Harrelson … Read more
I’m not sure how much attention to ascribe to this, but given that Zoe is Greek for “life,” the title of “My Dead Friend Zoe” feels a bit wry. Directed by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes from a screenplay he wrote with A.J. Bermudez, it’s a competently performed drama about an Army veteran named Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green) who … Read more
When Ione Skye was in middle school in the early 1980s, a group of popular, mean girls she calls “the Aprils” brought her — shy, bookish, not yet famous — into their intimidating fold. She was surprised they even knew her name. “Part of me wanted to punch the girls’ smug faces,” she writes in … Read more
Conan O’Brien is not a cynic — at least not when it comes to the Oscars, which he is hosting for the first time on Sunday. The Emmy-winning comedian, podcaster, traveler and movie buff is genuinely excited — “I get to do this!” he enthused — but also thoroughly worried. “It’s the thing I wake … Read more
A teenager rescues and defends an infant creature whose species the surrounding adults have condemned as vicious and predatory. Another adolescent battles injury and other hurdles in a quest for basketball stardom. A small child in Mexico contracts polio but finds solace in the world of art. And an 11-year-old Kurdish immigrant arrives in Berlin, … Read more
