All Movies
The Candy Man can: ‘Wonka’ is scrumpdiddlyumptiousThe cheery prequel “Wonka” imagines the origin story of Roald Dahl’s chocolatier while celebrating “the knockabout joys of unfettered high spirits,” our critic says.
‘The Zone of Interest’ asks us to consider the unthinkableWhat lessons lie in a Nazi officer’s effort to create an idyllic family life? “The Zone of Interest” juxtaposes the Arcadian and the hellish in what the Monitor’s critic says is the most powerful film he’s seen this year.
‘American Fiction’ asks: What, in our society, should a Black writer be?Full of serious-minded humor, “American Fiction” uses satire to poke at both race and publishing in America. Will the film change the discourse on either one?
‘Godzilla Minus One’: How a 70-year-old monster stays evergreenSetting a new record for Japanese live-action films, “Godzilla Minus One” has become the highest-grossing foreign language film of 2023, with a global take of $52 million after two weeks.
Bring your appetite: Wiseman’s latest film is a feast for the eyesIn Frederick Wiseman’s latest documentary, he trains his lens on a family-run French restaurant. Besides being a delight for foodies, says the Monitor’s film critic, it’s also a moving commentary on life.
They can’t all be Scrooge: How holiday films shineAs two Christmas classics turn 20, we’re reminded of the genre’s true gifts. More than making you laugh or cry, good holiday films often reinforce that life has meaning.
At the 100-year mark, Disney offers nostalgia, hope, and ‘Wish’Disney’s latest animated offering leans heavily on references to a century’s worth of prior films. Our columnist suggests that the retelling of familiar narratives helps people – motivating them to work together for common goals.
What’s the best way to capture Leonard Bernstein?Dramatizing the life of a great artist can be fraught. The biopic “Maestro” focuses on conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein’s personal life. But what of his art?
Battered Marvel finds an unexpected champion in ‘Loki’Superhero films are not pulling people in the way they once did. But one Marvel TV offering – about an anti-hero who forms bonds that transform him – illustrates the importance of relationship-building, our columnist writes.
‘The Holdovers’ offers a prep school Scrooge a shot at redemptionWhat makes people change? In “The Holdovers,” a teacher of ancient history faces his own past to find a way forward.
Escaping North Korea: ‘Beyond Utopia’ documents one path to freedomMost Westerners know little about North Korea or what it’s like to live in – or leave – the rigid country. “Beyond Utopia” shows the lengths defectors are willing to go to experience freedom.
First LookMaster 'Flower Moon' filmmaker Scorsese says he’s still learning“Killers of the Flower Moon,” which opens Friday in theaters, is the latest feature of Martin Scorsese’s ambitious filmmaking. His passion for cinema as an art form is stronger than ever. “Because there is no limit. The limit is in yourself,” he says.
‘Flower Moon’: A true tale of oil, Native rights, and murderMartin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” is an anti-Western Western with a grievous, true-crime story to tell.
Scenes from a marriage – at a breaking pointRiveting courtroom dramas offer more than legal machinations, argues Monitor film critic Peter Rainer. What makes “Anatomy of a Fall” a standout, he says, is its acting and insights into human nature.
Why AI stories are more about humans than about machinesRepresentations of artificial intelligence in popular culture help push society to think more about technology’s role – and which human values it reflects.
Toronto film fest: Big-screen gems, absent movie starsMonitor movie critic Peter Rainer navigates the Toronto film festival – and an industry still dealing with dual strikes – and is rewarded with a top-notch cinematic passport.
In ‘Between Two Worlds,’ Juliette Binoche makes the invisible visibleThe undercover journalist in the film “Between Two Worlds,” loosely based on a true story, finds the hardship she expects from jobs with minimum pay. But she also discovers something else: friendship and joy.
First Look‘Barbie’ box office bash: Gerwig’s opening weekend shatters records“Barbie” broke the opening weekend record for 2023 and shattered the first-weekend record for a film directed by a woman. Box office sales surpassed director Greta Gerwig’s domestic grosses for her previous two films, “Little Women” and “Lady Bird.”
‘Oppenheimer’: An ambitious – and epic – cautionary tale“Oppenheimer” ignites questions and controversies about the morality of warfare and the limits of power.
Pretty in pink: In tonally uneven ‘Barbie,’ Robbie shines“Barbie” is both a flippy romp and a feminist outcry in shades of pastel pink.
