Adventures of a Mathematician begins with one Jewish scientist telling another an extended joke where a man questions a rabbi about whether sex is “work” or “pleasure.” The joke turns… Continue reading "Adventures of a Mathematician (Klein, 2021)"
I am apparently an outlier because I thought this was gloriously messy rather than just messy. It didn’t hurt that I saw it the same week as The Eyes of… Continue reading "Dear Evan Hansen (Chbosky, 2021)"
I spent most of my time watching The Eyes of Tammy Faye trying to convince myself that the film was better than I ultimately judged it to be. Why the… Continue reading "The Eyes of Tammy Faye (Showalter, 2021)"
The right side of my brain says that The Capote Tapes is the kind of biographical tease that is common in academia. The auteur finds (or has access to) new… Continue reading "The Capote Tapes (Burnough, 2019)"
I approached On Broadway expecting a yearbook approach highlighting the major shows that have shaped American theater in my lifetime. It does that, seamlessly moving from a Chorus Line to… Continue reading "On Broadway (Jacoby, 2019)"
As a teacher and a film journalist, I have often quoted a favorite childhood riddle that asked, “What is the similarity between an elephant and a plum?” The answer —… Continue reading "A Tale of Two Junkets"
Jungle Cruise glides along for about an hour, propelled by the charms of Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. Their charisma is seemingly without limit, and for just a moment mid-film,… Continue reading "Jungle Cruise (Collet-Serra)"
The words “my” and “mine” are — technically — possessive cases of the pronoun “I.” I say “technically” because the line between ownership and association becomes blurred when one is… Continue reading "God Exists, Her Name is Petrunya (Mitevska, 2021)"
Luca is a heartwarming tale of friendship, fear, intolerance, and acceptance set in the Italian Riviera. If I know America like I think I know America, too much discussion about… Continue reading "Luca (Casarosa, 2021)"
Over the past ten years, François Ozon has directed an impressive array of entertaining and provocative films. His films have become appointment viewing for me, and By the Grace of… Continue reading "Summer of 85 (Ozon, 2020)"
