Los Angeles Times

Tomatometer-approved publication
Rating Title/Year Author
The Dirt (2019) Lorraine Ali It's as if the film arrived to the streaming service in a bubble, unaware that the culture has moved on and that Netflix is brimming with content written, directed and starring strong women. EDIT
Posted Mar 22, 2019
Knife + Heart (2018) Katie Walsh It feels like a giallo take on "Phantom of the Paradise," with heavy influences from "Peeping Tom" and Todd Haynes' 1991 feature debut, "Poison." This magical, erotic, disco-tinged horror-thriller is like cinematic candy. EDIT
Posted Mar 22, 2019
Da xiang xi di er zuo (2018) Justin Chang [Hu] has given us a triumph of bold sociopolitical critique and intimate human portraiture, and a reminder that you rarely encounter the one without the other. EDIT
Posted Mar 21, 2019
Napszállta (2018) Justin Chang "Sunset" is maddening and mesmerizing. EDIT
Posted Mar 21, 2019
Hotel Mumbai (2018) Kenneth Turan What "Hotel Mumbai" does best is re-create - to an at times unrelenting extent - what the terror and confusion of being in this kind of situation must be like. EDIT
Posted Mar 21, 2019
The Eyes of Orson Welles (2018) Robert Abele On its own, it's a nimble, eccentric, sometimes questionable but mostly insightful journey into the coursing visual mind of a voracious and revolutionary artist. EDIT
Posted Mar 21, 2019
Legend of the Demon Cat (2017) Michael Rechtshaffen Although the often humorous film may not quite rank among Chen's best and that CGI-enhanced feline isn't always convincingly up to scratch, the buoyant yarn nevertheless casts a beguiling spell. EDIT
Posted Mar 21, 2019
Tigerland (2019) Gary Goldstein The chance to view so many gorgeous, majestic tigers up close and personal is alone enough to recommend Ross Kauffman's fine documentary "Tigerland." EDIT
Posted Mar 21, 2019
Dragged Across Concrete (2018) Justin Chang Zahler only really grips you, alas, with his trademark ferocious displays of violence, which felt like a logical endgame in "Bone Tomahawk" and "Brawl in Cell Block 99," but too often smack here of pointless sadism. EDIT
Posted Mar 21, 2019
Cruel Intentions (1999) Kevin Thomas Cruel Intentions is a stretch for all concerned, including the targeted audience, one that pays off handsomely--and works for older moviegoers as well. EDIT
Posted Mar 21, 2019
Out of Blue (2018) Gary Goldstein The plodding "Out of Blue" isn't out of ideas - just out of gas. EDIT
Posted Mar 20, 2019
() Charles Solomon At times, "Made in Abyss" feels like a standard anime action-adventure, but the feature... suffers from an extremely nasty tone. EDIT
Posted Mar 19, 2019
Mannequin (1987) Michael Wilmington It's as if the film makers had the aspirations of classy old-style Hollywood hacks, but not their tricks: They don't know in which dummies the gold is buried. EDIT
Posted Mar 19, 2019
Ishtar (1987) Sheila Benson It is a smart, generous, genuinely funny affair. Sometimes, like the camel who almost ambles away with the picture, it's longish in the tooth, but it is based on an extremely astute vision of life. EDIT
Posted Mar 19, 2019
Captive State (2019) Gary Goldstein In "Captive State" aliens have taken over the world (as they will), but it's the viewers stuck watching this messy, lugubrious sci-fi thriller who may feel like the ones being held captive. EDIT
Posted Mar 15, 2019
The Aftermath (2019) Katie Walsh the focus of "The Aftermath" is in all the wrong places, spending time with characters in which we are unable to gain an emotional foothold. This misplaced attention makes for an erotic drama that feels cold, and a political thriller that feels empty. EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
Wonder Park (2019) Katie Walsh The wonders of Wonder Park are dampened by the pall of grief that the protagonist is experiencing, while the wacky amusement park antics prevent the story from going especially deep. EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
Five Feet Apart (2019) Katie Walsh Richardson can do just about anything, and her performance in "Five Feet Apart" demonstrates a new depth to her range. She brings a knowing soulfulness to every aspect of Stella's journey EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
Iceman (2017) Robert Abele "Iceman" is almost like something unearthed itself: a recognizable B western sharpened as much by its glints of psychology as by its kinetic savagery. EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
Styx (2018) Robert Abele Its dizzying strength is as a visceral journey, a detour from the privileged freedom represented by a horizon to the tragic limbo of displacement, an ocean that's both a confinement and an abyss. EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
The Highwaymen (2019) Michael Ordoña "Highwaymen" is a decidedly grown-up meditation on the price of lives and the thoughtlessness of idol worship. EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
Babylon (1980) Robert Abele Assertive and ebullient, "Babylon" is as alive as a movie can be to the everyday mesh of liberating art, humorous camaraderie and hazardous political reality. EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (2019) Justin Chang Like a lot of Gibney documentaries, it compresses a juicy, complicated story into a smooth, coherent retelling that occasionally glances at that story's deeper implications. EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
Las Sandinistas! (2018) Carlos Aguilar An enthralling and imperative ode to forgotten heroines for whom monuments haven't been erected, "Las Sandinistas!" is simultaneously a wake-up call for Americans to confront their country's responsibility in the instability across Latin America. EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
Female Pleasure (2018) Maria Garcia The issues they confront are not new, yet the stories of their radicalization are engaging, and Miller's deft editing and objective approach result in a surprisingly intimate and life-affirming film. EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
Off Season (2017) Noel Murray An ungainly hybrid of low-key drama and tawdry thriller, the Martha's Vineyard-set indie "Off Season" squanders some inviting local color on a blah horror/mystery plot. EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
Chimera Strain (2018) Noel Murray The film has the eerie atmosphere and outstanding makeup effects of a good fantasy thriller. But it's way too choppy to build any tension. EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
Finding Steve McQueen (2019) Noel Murray A likable cast and a fascinating, mostly forgotten story - about an attempt to steal millions of dollars of illegal presidential campaign contributions - keep the movie engaging, but can't compensate for the waste of a promising premise. EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
Never Grow Old (2019) Noel Murray [A] well-acted tale of frontier violence and spiritual redemption. EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
Cradle of Champions (2018) Noel Murray The result is both a stirring sports doc and a rich nonfiction drama, populated by characters who could have stepped out of a Damon Runyon story. EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
The Hummingbird Project (2018) Gary Goldstein A smartly entertaining and unexpectedly human film... EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
Yardie (2018) Gary Goldstein Elba brings care to the film's performances, period look and musical elements. But the freeze frames, needless voice-over bits and stalled narrative momentum undercut the picture's potential power and uniqueness. EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
Bruce!!! (2017) Michael Rechtshaffen Marryshow, in his various capacities, has neglected to instill his terminally obnoxious character with a vital shred of audience empathy, let alone to provide sufficient comedic beats that would have better engaged his thoughtfully diverse cast. EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
Superpower Dogs (2019) Michael Ordoña Kids will be "Awww"-ing at the dogs' shows of affection toward their humans. EDIT
Posted Mar 14, 2019
Giant Little Ones (2018) Katie Walsh Behrman has crafted a classic high school tale of outsiders finding themselves ... The images are sumptuously saturated and gorgeously crafted, and the soundtrack thrums and whines with anxiety and racing pulse. EDIT
Posted Mar 13, 2019
Young Guns (1988) Michael Wilmington Though it pales beside such antecedents as Arthur Penn's "The Left-Handed Gun" or Sam Peckinpah's "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid," it has a slick, smoky vigor. EDIT
Posted Mar 12, 2019
Twins (1988) Michael Wilmington "Twins" starts with an overblown fairy-tale quality that seems as if it should work. But, by the finish, the movie collapses on the shoulders of the stars. It works because they both showed up and delivered the goods and kept their end of the deal. EDIT
Posted Mar 12, 2019
The Mustang (2019) Kenneth Turan Whatever language he works in, Schoenaerts is a singular talent who can convincingly convey danger and menace as naturally as he breathes. EDIT
Posted Mar 12, 2019
Us (2019) Justin Chang [B]eyond the jittery mechanics of attack and pursuit, what lingers is the unnerving intimacy of the whole situation, the terrible and mysterious sense of kinship that binds the Wilsons to their malevolent alter egos. EDIT
Posted Mar 9, 2019
Las herederas (2018) Justin Chang But if some questions remain unanswered, Brun's performance provides much of the clarity we need. EDIT
Posted Mar 7, 2019
The Kid (2019) Gary Goldstein [An] absorbing, well-structured and superbly acted movie. EDIT
Posted Mar 7, 2019
Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People (2018) Robert Abele Mostly, though, this conventionally made, PBS-friendly biodoc marked by those pages you could fall into... is a brisk, engaging-enough reminder of why the man's name is synonymous with press freedom and prizes for the best in reporting. EDIT
Posted Mar 7, 2019
The Gospel of Eureka (2018) Gary Goldstein There's much to explore and dissect about the intriguing world that directors Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher spotlight in their documentary "The Gospel of Eureka," but the film, strangely flabby at just 73 minutes, leaves us wanting. EDIT
Posted Mar 7, 2019
We Are Boats (2018) Gary Goldstein Despite noble intentions, writer-director James Bird's film contains a few too many less-than-engaging or compelling characters and situations to warrant the leap it takes to buy into this at times ridiculous and pretentious tale. EDIT
Posted Mar 7, 2019
The Glorious Seven (2019) Noel Murray Despite an opening credits sequence that directly compares the stars of the new movie to the likes of Yul Brenner and Toshiro Mifune, this run-of-the-mill shoot-em-up isn't exactly an instant classic. EDIT
Posted Mar 7, 2019
Woodsrider (2016) Noel Murray This is a contemplative portrait of a different way to live. EDIT
Posted Mar 7, 2019
Mademoiselle de Joncquières (2018) Noel Murray Anyone who loves "Dangerous Liaisons" - in any of its iterations - should rush to cue up "Lady J," a period romance with a similarly wicked sense of comic melodrama. EDIT
Posted Mar 7, 2019
Police Story (1985) Justin Chang It's the joy of watching Chan, a Buster Keaton of kickboxing, hurling himself into every stunt with total commitment, astounding athleticism and oddly unflappable, shaggy-haired grace. EDIT
Posted Mar 6, 2019
A Chorus Line (1985) Sheila Benson If you were one of that legion who saw A Chorus Line more than once in the theater, the film is enough to make you doubt your judgment. If you've never seen the stage piece, you may come out wondering what in the name of goodness all the fuss was about. EDIT
Posted Mar 6, 2019
Transit (2018) Justin Chang "Transit" touchingly illuminates the close bonds that can form within migrant communities, even as it refuses to harbor any illusions about how easily those bonds can be broken. EDIT
Posted Mar 6, 2019