#‘Firebrand’ Review: Alicia Vikander and Jude Law Rule in Karim Aïnouz’s Whip-Smart Historical Drama Bristling With Court Intrigue

#‘Firebrand’ Review: Alicia Vikander and Jude Law Rule in Karim Aïnouz’s Whip-Smart Historical Drama Bristling With Court Intrigue

Early on in Karim Aïnouz’s richly textured and suspenseful historical drama, Firebrand, King Henry VIII commends his sixth and final wife, Katherine Parr, on her excellent job filling in as Regent while he’s been abroad engaged in warfare. Never mind the efforts to limit her powers to inconsequential matters, he tells her she won’t have…

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#‘The Book of Solutions’ Review: Michel Gondry’s Comic Portrait of a Filmmaker in Crisis Veers Between Sure-Footed and Stumbling

#‘The Book of Solutions’ Review: Michel Gondry’s Comic Portrait of a Filmmaker in Crisis Veers Between Sure-Footed and Stumbling

The filmmaker at the center of Michel Gondry’s new feature is in a love-hate relationship with his latest project. To protect the work in progress from the studio executives who have just fired him, he absconds to the country with the four-hour cut, his faithful editor and assistant in tow. And then he can’t bear…

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#‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ Review: Harrison Ford Cracks the Whip One Last Time in a Final Chapter Short on Both Thrills and Fun

#‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ Review: Harrison Ford Cracks the Whip One Last Time in a Final Chapter Short on Both Thrills and Fun

There was genuine curiosity for many of us when James Mangold was confirmed as director on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the fifth and final entry in the beloved franchise that started with a bang in 1981 when Steven Spielberg and George Lucas reimagined the Saturday matinee adventure serials they grew up with…

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#‘Monster’ Review: Hirokazu Kore-eda Measures the Weight of Bullying on Childhood Friendship in Tender But Diffuse Drama

#‘Monster’ Review: Hirokazu Kore-eda Measures the Weight of Bullying on Childhood Friendship in Tender But Diffuse Drama

After making The Truth in France and Broker in South Korea, Hirokazu Kore-eda returns to a Japanese-language project for the first time since his justly lauded Shoplifters five years ago, working with another writer’s script for the first time since his head-turning 1995 debut, Maborosi. Many of the peerless humanist’s frequent themes figure in Monster…

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#‘Strange Way of Life’ Review: Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal Heat Up the Desert in Pedro Almodóvar’s Intoxicating Queer Western

#‘Strange Way of Life’ Review: Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal Heat Up the Desert in Pedro Almodóvar’s Intoxicating Queer Western

Whether Pedro Almodóvar is expressing regret over turning down Brokeback Mountain all those years ago, continuing to dip his toes in English-language projects after The Human Voice or reclaiming the place of gay cowboys in America’s Old West, I am here for it and most definitely won’t be alone. Premiering in a Special Screening slot…

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#‘Occupied City’ Review: Steve McQueen Breaks With Doc Convention in a Provocative Look at Amsterdam During World War II

#‘Occupied City’ Review: Steve McQueen Breaks With Doc Convention in a Provocative Look at Amsterdam During World War II

It’s no surprise that Steve McQueen, a visual artist turned director, takes an unorthodox approach to nonfiction. Without a single interview or frame of archival material, he connects past and present in Occupied City, a documentary that challenges and rewards patience. Combining an elegantly lensed visual portrait of contemporary Amsterdam with a matter-of-fact oral account…

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#‘Jeanne du Barry’ Review: Johnny Depp and Maïwenn Team Up for a French Drama That’s More Tasteful Than Torrid

#‘Jeanne du Barry’ Review: Johnny Depp and Maïwenn Team Up for a French Drama That’s More Tasteful Than Torrid

The films of Maïwenn, like Maïwenn herself, tend to be divisive. When they’re good, such as in the writer-director-actress’ breakthrough second feature, Polisse, they’re filled with hotblooded ensemble performances that channel the kinetic energy of John Cassavetes. When they’re not, such as in her last effort, DNA, they feel like overblown arthouse selfies where Maïwenn…

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