I realize I said this last year. But it really could go a few different ways at the Academy Awards, at least in the best-picture category. That makes things kind of fun — even though I know my pick for the best movie of the year won’t take home the...
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Oscar Nominations 2016
So it’s Oscar nomination day, an annual event I always looked forward to back when I had a day job. The announcement comes super-early — 5:38 a.m. Pacific time, to be exact, all the better to take advantage of morning TV news programs — but everyone’s in a good mood...
Read more10 Worst Films of 2015
I love being a film critic, and one of the great privileges of the gig is being able to share with all of you my choices for the best movies at the end of each year. Yesterday, I posted my top-10 list for 2015, which I hope you enjoyed (and...
Read more10 Best Films of 2015
OK, people. No more cramming in screeners. No more dashing back and forth across town all day to see movies. Time to make the tough decisions about the best films of 2015. I try to keep a list going all year long to remind myself of what I’ve loved, and...
Read moreOscar Picks 2015
Predicting the Oscars was extraordinarily hard this year — harder than I can remember in a long time. Usually by this point, with the Academy Awards ceremony just a few days away, the frontrunners have established themselves pretty clearly. And while this is true (for the most part) in the...
Read moreOscar Nominations 2015
First of all, I’m not sure why I care so much. I said this to my husband this morning after the Academy Award nominations came out and I was thoroughly worked up over how terrible they were. I’m not sure why any of us care so much, actually. Maybe it’s...
Read moreUnder the Skin, In the Flesh
One of the most powerful aspects of Jonathan Glazer’s gorgeous and daring “Under the Skin” is its score from British singer-songwriter and producer Mica Levi: a haunting mix of strings, percussion and flute that’s sometimes unsettling, sometimes dreamlike and always original. It keeps you on edge from the very beginning,...
Read moreA Secret Protest Screening
One of the many great parts about living in Los Angeles is the wealth of repertory theaters offering an array of eclectic fare for serious film lovers. The Cinefamily, at the Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax, is prime among them. These people dig deeply and care passionately, and they enjoy...
Read more10 Worst Films of 2014
Yesterday, I posted a list of my picks for the 10 best films of 2014. It’s always a privilege and a fun challenge to try and narrow it down to just 10. But when you see hundreds of movies a year, you’re also going to see some excruciatingly terrible ones....
Read more10 Best Films of 2014
Every year, I say how hard it is to narrow down my best-of list to just 10 titles. But this year, it was especially true. Looking back on my favorite movies of 2014, I definitely see a theme emerging: otherworldly beings on the prowl in the middle of the night....
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