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Top Picks

The Skeleton Twins

Directed by Craig Johnson Produced by Stephanie Langhoff, Jennifer Lee and Jacob Pechenik Written by Johnson and Mark Heyman Released by Roadside Attractions USA. 92 min. Rated R With Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, Ty Burrell, Boyd Holbrook and Joanna Gleason Actors Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader have habitually epitomized the lofty standards of […]

Wetlands

Directed by David Wnendt Written by Claus Falkenberg and Wnendt, based on the novel by Charlotte Roche Produced by Peter Rommel Released by Strand Releasing German with English subtitles German. 109 min. Not rated With Carla Juri, Christoph Letkowski, Meret Becker, and Axel Milberg The shock value of Wetlands far surpasses anything I’ve seen in […]

The Green Prince

Written and Directed by Nadav Schirman, based on the memoir Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef Produced by Schirman, John Battsek and Simon Chinn Released by Music Box Films Germany/Israel/UK. 101 min. Rated PG-13 This summer’s front page photographs from Gaza of masked Hamas gunmen executing accused collaborators with Israel gives The Green Prince […]

Born to Fly

Directed by Catherine Gund Produced by Gund and Tanya Salvaratnam USA. 82 min. Not rated This look at the life and work of choreographer Elizabeth Streb features some genuinely jaw-dropping moments. They are compiled from a career spent pushing the limits of motion in search of a kind of human flight. Of course, the first […]

Rocks in My Pockets

Animated, Written, Produced and Directed by Signe Baumane Released by Zeitgeist Films USA. 88 min. Not rated “Rocks In My Pockets: A funny film about depression,” Signe Baumane asserts at the end of the film’s trailer in her heavy Latvian accent. There couldn’t be a more concise statement that captures the core of her autobiographical […]

Clouds of Sils Maria | Cannes

My last screening at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the 34th in eight days, was a rewarding way to wind down, ending the festival on a rich, resonating note. Director and writer Olivier Assayas smoothly makes his first (mostly) English language foray, buoyed by the strong performance of Juliette Binoche. While Assayas’s new film has […]

Love Is Strange

Directed by Ira Sachs Written by Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias Produced by Lucas Joaquin, Jay Van Hoy, Jayne Baron Sherman, Lars Knudsen and Sachs Released by Sony Pictures Classics USA. 98 min. Rated R With John Lithgow, Alfred Molina, Marisa Tomei, Darren Burrows, Charlie Tahan, Cheyenne Jackson, Manny Perez and Eric Tabach In last year’s […]

The One I Love

Directed by Charlie McDowell Produced by Mel Eslyn Written by Justin Lader Released by Radius/TWC USA. 91 min. Rated R With Mark Duplass, Elisabeth Moss and Ted Danson This comedy, with a couple of couples who are easily confused in their mixed-up match-ups, owes something to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. To its great credit, it […]

Frank

Directed by Lenny Abrahamson Produced by Ed Guiney, David Barron and Stevie Lee Written by Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan, based on a newspaper article by Ronson Released by Magnolia Pictures UK/Ireland. 98 min. Rated R With Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy, Michael Fassbender, Carla Azar and François Civil A common lack of awareness […]