One of the rules by which I select film festival offerings – probably the rule above all others, in fact – is to never see a film that I know is going to open near me within the near future (“near future” = “by the end of December”, for most purposes). But as everyone knows, […]

To judge from the advertisements – and even some of the reviews – you’d be forgiven for assuming that Adventureland sees director Greg Mottola returning to the goofy, dirty comedy blended with sweet nostalgia that made Superbad a big ol’ hit back in the summer of 2007. It is not. Oh my, no. No, no, […]

Some movies are great because they are subtle things, crafted with the precision of a Swiss watch, wielding the visual language of film with supernatural fluidity And some movies are great like a punch in the solar plexus is great. This Is England is a movie like a punch to the solar plexus. Writer-director Shane […]

It is the traditional order of things that movies set in college, and also movies that are set in the mid-1980s and scored entirely with New Wave singles, will be high-pitched and manic. So I do admire the British rom-com Starter for 10 in this way, at least: it possesses a low-key, laid-back energy that […]

The British, they do know how to romp. That’s all The History Boys is, really: a romp, a frolic, just a bit of fun to fill the time between here and there. There’s a healthy bit about growing up, and adolescent sexuality, and a great huge pile about the changing face of teaching, but it’s […]