‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’: A spectacular trip in the stars that might improve on original
Emotionally vast, enriching structurally and hell-bent on being a feast for the eyes, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is a joyful ode to the simplest, most emotive ingredients of cinema.
Bridging rap dramas and tearjerker docs, Independent Film Festival Boston is back
The 15th annual incarnation of the Independent Film Festival Boston, running Wednesday through May 3, offers another embarrassment of riches – an eclectic assortment of short-film packages and a vast selection of documentaries and narrative flicks.
‘After the Storm’: Dad’s trying to make up, but his failings have been a lot to weather
Delicately woven, warmly portrayed and capturing the balmy and refreshed atmosphere that follows a summer rain, Hirokazu Koreeda’s “After the Storm” is a quiet masterpiece.
‘Life’: Crew discovers there’s life on Mars, and in the plot of decades-old horror films
If this entire film about an attractive, six-member International Space Station crew finding life on Mars had resembled the last five electrifying minutes, perhaps we would’ve had an entirely different film on our hands.
‘Personal Shopper’: Sad Kristen Stewart sells ghost story with a top performance
Superficial in its aesthetic but thematically soulful, Olivier Assayas’ “Personal Shopper” is enigmatic – just like its star, Kristen Stewart – but audience members willing to embrace it are in for something special.
‘Beauty and the Beast’: Disney animation goes live, finds true love in musical theater
Where the film soars – aside from some ingenious casting – is in its unabashed embracing of the inherent theatricality of musicals. While there were iconic numbers in the animated version, the remake is performed much closer to a wall-to-wall musical.
Roll film on ‘Women Who Built Hollywood’ as Brattle shines light on unfairly forgotten
The Brattle Theatre’s “The Women Who Built Hollywood” series runs through March 8, jumpstarting a “Year of Women in Cinema” program meant to counteract some depressing film industry trends.
Boston Society of Film Critics awards event back at Brattle with less glamour, more grit
The 89th Annual Academy Awards ceremony is Feb. 26, with Jimmy Kimmel hosting, but the Boston Society of Film Critics beats it with a Feb. 19 event filled with special guests, music and screenings at The Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square – benefiting the ACLU.
‘20th Century Women’: More than mother needed to nurture son out of 1970s sexism
Possessing an enormous warmth and empathy for its characters, Mike Mills’ “20th Century Women” looks at motherhood and how extended family isn’t always related by blood.
‘Patriots Day’: When you need a Wahlberg to add drama to Boston Marathon bombing
“Patriots Day” takes any sense of catharsis the city of Boston has built up over the past few years and tramples it with a single objectively poor decision: adding a fictional character to be one of the story’s great heroes in a true tale that’s full of them.
