Ultimately, Pixar flick “Soul” deals with the kind of Big Questions that keep adults up at night: Where did we come from? Why are we here? What’s next?
Glenn McDonald
Posted inFilm & Television
In “News of the World,” Tom Hanks Embodies the Better Angels of Our National Character
This is a throwback kind of movie—a huge, honking Western drama.
Posted inFilm & Television
“Nomadland” Is a Road Trip Through Late-Stage Capitalism and the Sunset of the American Dream
“Nomadland,” director Chloé Zhao’s latest starring Frances McDormand, is a new kind of Western.
Posted inFilm & Television
“The Planters” Is a Character-Driven, Low-Budget Comedy Gem
The offbeat DIY film has an early-release virtual theatrical run via the Carolina Theatre’s website.
Posted inFilm & Television
Relive the Glory Days of Rock N’ Roll in “Creem: America’s Only Rock and Roll Magazine”
The documentary is about as deep as the second half of a “Behind the Music.” That can be fun.
Posted inFilm & Television
A Few Floors in a New York Building Face the Federal Government in “The Fight”
The new documentary about the ACLU centers on four high-profile legal battles fought by the tenacious nonprofit.
Posted inFilm & Television
From Civil Rights to Gun Control, John Lewis Is the Conscience of Congress
Dawn Porter’s excellent documentary about the tireless legislator and civil-rights hero is opening online, but you can support your local theater by watching it.
Posted inBooks
How to See a UFO with David J. Halperin
In “Intimate Alien: The Hidden Story of the UFO,” the Chapel Hill religious studies scholar and ufologist draws out the mythical and psychological threads of sightings.
Posted inFilm & Television
No Campy Universal Creature Feature, “The Invisible Man” Takes Modern Terrors Seriously
The Elisabeth Moss vehicle redirects thriller tropes toward anxieties about amoral technology companies, anonymous online predators, gaslighting narcissist men in power, and sudden gun violence.
Posted inFilm & Television
Ruin Valentine’s Day with Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus
A bleak comedy from a talented team, “Downhill” is a real conundrum, with some things done very well and others completely botched.
