As the Confucian proverb goes: “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” Unfortunately for Stephanie Patrick (Blake Lively), she’s going to need more than two to get through this. Three years ago, her family was killed … Continue reading THE RHYTHM SECTION
You just got to play detective, don’t you? Do I go around playing piano? — Capt. Flood, Black Angel 1946’s Black Angel isn’t the most well-known film noir adapted from a Cornell Woolrich novel. That honor goes to 1944’s Phantom Lady, the story of a … Continue reading BLACK ANGEL
Set in the Parisian neighborhood of Montfermeil, the region where Victor Hugo set his epic novel, Les Misérables explores the origins of crime, resentment, and violence. The movie, which hews close to documentary, follows two local cops (Alexis Manenti and Djibril Zonga) … Continue reading LES MISÉRABLES
The king of the jungle, a London-based gangster and high-powered drug dealer, has been killed. Or, so says Fletcher (Hugh Grant), an investigative reporter who’s stumbled onto a scoop so good, he might as well parlay it into blackmail and … Continue reading THE GENTLEMEN
No one face embodied the French New Wave more than that of Anna Karina. Born Hanne Karin Bayer in Denmark in 1940, Karina made her way to Paris as a model when she was 17, starring in advertisements for Coca-Cola, … Continue reading LE PETIT SOLDAT
The sages call it by many names: yagé, ambiwaska, aioasca, but most know it as ayahuasca: a hallucinogenic brew drunk during a spiritual ceremony. That’s why the Spanish conquistadors outlawed it, and the U.S. government classified it Schedule 1. But … Continue reading THE MEDICINE
Before the Syrian Civil War in 2011, an estimated 2 million souls called Ghouta home. Less than 20% now reside in the suburb of Damascus. The rest either fled, were evacuated, or were killed. A few remained to help those … Continue reading THE CAVE
The year was 1978, and China’s future did not look promising. The country had survived wars, depression, and famine. Plus, a cultural revolution was taxing the nation. Resources were tight, but as the population neared 1 billion, things went from … Continue reading ONE CHILD NATION
Monroeville, Alabama, 1987: A man is condemned to death for a crime he did not commit. Do you need to know the color of his skin, or can you already guess? He is Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), and recent Harvard … Continue reading JUST MERCY
Michael J. Cinema 
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