Every year is a great year for the movies, but when was the best? Was it 1939, the year Hollywood gave us The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington? Or was it the great global year … Continue reading 2018: An Embarrassment of Riches
The infamous Beale Street belongs to the city of Memphis, Tennessee, but every city has a Beale Street. So claimed writer James Baldwin, born and raised in Harlem, New York, on the very streets where he set his seminal 1974 … Continue reading IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s place in history is secure; it’s her story that seems to be in question. To borrow a line from the Bard: “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” And … Continue reading ON THE BASIS OF SEX
As the old saying goes: Hindsight is 20-20. But therein lies the trap, the notion that since we can see the past clearly, we can also understand it. If history has taught us anything, untangling what we know from what … Continue reading VICE
According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, more than 72,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2017. The primary offender: opioids—heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, and more—claiming nearly 50,000 lives. It’s a public health emergency with a profound … Continue reading Peter Hedges on BEN IS BACK
The year is 1561, and Mary Stuart has returned to Scotland. Spending most of her childhood in France, Mary (Saoirse Ronan) has decided to come home and claim her throne, the very one her half-brother, James (James McArdle), has been … Continue reading MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS
The year is 1708, and Britain is at war with France. Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) is ill and prefers to spend her days hidden away in her quarters, stuffing her face with sweets until she vomits. In her absence, the … Continue reading THE FAVOURITE
The theatrical release of Roma is the cinematographic event of the year. Initially acquired by Netflix for their streaming service, Roma’s visual and aural power proved too big for TVs, laptops, iPads, and phones. Sure, subscribers will be able to … Continue reading ROMA
[F]ilm is the great adventure—the costly, exacting mistress. Ingmar Bergman’s legacy in the annals of cinematic history is secure. With over 60 films and documentaries to his name, Bergman brought Swedish cinema to the world stage while devising new ways … Continue reading Ingmar Bergman
Michael J. Cinema 
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