Before the 1990s, animated family films were in the gutter. Deemed too expensive, too labor-intensive, their demise was certain. But then came The Little Mermaid, and a decade-long renaissance of hand-drawn and computer-generated animation followed. It culminated with 1999’s, The Iron Giant, … Continue reading THE IRON GIANT
Truth is one, but the sages speak of it by many names. —The Rig Veda The Two Popes, one of the most anticipated movies of the holiday season, arrives on the silver screen Dec. 13 before heading to Netflix on … Continue reading THE TWO POPES and THE BELLS OF ST. MARY
Three men work the line at the Checkered Taxi auto plant in Detroit, Michigan. Their lives revolve around hard labor and heavy drinking, getting yelled at by their supervisors and trying to keep their heads above water at home. They’re … Continue reading BLUE COLLAR
Who is Frank talking to? That was the question posed as a group of us exited The Irishman. One was a film programmer, the other four: film professors—the fixating kind. But the question was valid. Who is Frank Sheeran (Robert De … Continue reading THE IRISHMAN
Written, produced, and co-starring Shia LaBeouf, Honey Boy is filmmaking by way of catharsis. Written during a stint in rehab, Honey Boy presents two periods of LaBeouf’s life in parallel: the first of 22-year-old Otis (Lucas Hedges), who lands in court-appointed rehabilitation program while … Continue reading HONEY BOY
It all started so well. There was love, and there was kindness. There was understanding, and there was support. And then one day, there wasn’t. The supports were taken out, kindness gave way to cordiality, and romantic love dissolved into … Continue reading MARRIAGE STORY
In the suburbs of Dakar, men labor in the hot sun to erect a massive tower. Seen through the dust, it looks like something futuristic, something alien. Even more so considering the men who built it: Impoverished and overburden. They … Continue reading ATLANTICS
Few movies were as anticipated as the sequel to 2013’s surprise smash Frozen. Lucky for any girl sporting Elsa’s Arendelle aqua dress or parent who’s heard “Let It Go” 17 times too many, Frozen 2 does not disappoint. The songs from husband and … Continue reading FROZEN 2
You can’t control the world, but you can control your reaction. Reactions define the individual, and in Scott Z. Burns’ The Report, the tragic events of 9/11 caused two completely different reactions in two completely different men. It’s just that their … Continue reading THE REPORT
Michael J. Cinema 
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