Plot Summary When I first sat down to watch Hidden Figures, I knew it was based on true events, but I had no idea how deeply it would draw me into a world of both inspiration and frustration. Directed by Theodore Melfi, this biographical drama tells the story of three African-American women—Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, … Read more
Plot Summary When I first watched Spike Jonze’s “Her”, I didn’t expect to be so deeply unsettled and, at the same time, oddly comforted by the film’s view of technology and loneliness. “Her” is set in a near-future Los Angeles, painted in warm pastels and haunting cityscapes, where society has quietly accepted advanced artificial intelligence … Read more
Plot Summary From the very first frame, I felt as if I was entering a delicate waltz between wit and wistfulness—a dance choreographed by director Ernst Lubitsch, whose reputation as a master of sophisticated comedy precedes him. This 1943 romantic fantasy takes a decidedly unconventional approach to the afterlife, inviting me to follow the affable … Read more
Plot Summary When I first sat down to watch He Who Gets Slapped, I felt a peculiar mix of curiosity and anticipation, knowing I was about to revisit one of the earliest psychological dramas committed to celluloid. Directed by Victor Sjöström, who was known for his profound empathy toward the misunderstood, this 1924 film weaves … Read more
Plot Summary Sitting down to experience John Carpenter’s masterpiece was like stepping into the cool, unnerving shadows of my own adolescence. I’ve always felt that Halloween, with its razor-sharp focus on suspense over spectacle, used the simplicity of its 1978 setting to tap into the universal fear of the unknown. For those who haven’t yet … Read more
Plot Summary I remember the first time I encountered this film: I had expectations of a quirky Bill Murray comedy, but what greeted me was so much deeper and more resonant than a run-of-the-mill romantic fantasy. Taking place in the small town of Punxsutawney, the plot revolves around Phil Connors, a self-absorbed and sarcastic TV … Read more
Plot Summary Watching “Greed” for the first time, I was struck by how thoroughly this film dives into the shadows of human desire, crafting a narrative that’s less about events and more about the raw, corrosive hunger for wealth. Directed by Erich von Stroheim, whose obsessive attention to realism I’ve always admired, this silent drama … Read more
Plot Summary Even after decades as a critic, there are only a handful of films that shake me to my core every time I revisit them, and Grave of the Fireflies sits unflinchingly at the top of that list. Far beyond what I’d typically expect from an animated film, director Isao Takahata’s wartime masterpiece shatters … Read more
Plot Summary I remember the first time I watched Michael Apted’s biographical drama about Dian Fossey, and how utterly transported I felt—not just deep into the rain-soaked jungles of Rwanda, but into a life that vibrated with fierce compassion and complicated obsession. The story follows Dian Fossey (played with daunting vulnerability by Sigourney Weaver) as … Read more
Plot Summary Looking back, the first time I watched “Good Will Hunting,” I remember feeling an almost physical empathy with the film’s wounded genius, Will. The movie drew me in by making intellect itself feel dangerous and volatile—so unlike the sanitized brainiacs of other, more buttoned-up dramas. Set in late-90s Boston and guided by Gus … Read more
