Movies

‘Birds of Prey’ is Missing the Most Important Bird in their Flock

If you hadn’t guessed already, Harley Quinn has nothing to do with the birds. In fact, the most important bird — Barbara Gordon, also known as Oracle — is missing in this movie’s flock. Read More

Horror and the Oscars: What are the Oscars scared of?

There are amazing developments and stories being incorporated into horror, and that should be recognized by the Oscars to protect its integrity. Read More

Not Vanilla: Award Shows

Thinking more, I started to wonder why people like to watch award shows. Many of them are marketed as annual touchstones, but I increasingly question their validity. Read More

‘The Lighthouse’ will make you question your sanity

Because of their strong performances, the personality clashes between Pattinson and Dafoe provide the film with some of its best scenes. Read More

‘Cats’ convinced me of the power of friendship

But even if it’s not good in the traditional sense, the “Cats” movie  cannot be viewed in a traditional context. It must be viewed as an exercise in free-spirited, unabashed strangeness. Read More

40 years later, ‘The Shining’ remains a paradigm of horror

The amalgamation of sound effects, long shots, masterclass framing, disturbing imagery, and the slow build of suspense creates a perfect horror movie. Read More

The pan-religious appeal of Emmet Otter

May I suggest the Jim Henson-directed “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas” for your not-quite-Christmassy-but-it’s-got-the-giving-spirit, made-for-television viewing pleasure?  Read More

‘Parasite’ is a master class in empathetic satire

Here’s what I can say that won’t spoil it for you. The film is about a rich family and a poor family, and how their lives intersect. Read More

Arts and Leisure: Performance

Here we are again — back to Rochester after three shimmering months of summer. Some of us are arriving for the first time, while others return for their final year. Either way, our recent days of hot summertime fun are gone. Soon, the nights will get colder and, before we know it, winter will close […]

CT Recommends: “Rango”

In 2011, Pixar was in the middle of a golden age, and with Dreamworks contenders like “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Kung Fu Panda,” even if you hadn’t fully tapped into the uncritical joy that comes from being a young  moviegoer, you were mostly guaranteed fun with any new big names in animation. But, […]