Did social distancing influence this Joel Coen production of the Scottish play? It has some great actors in it, but their performances seem strangely separate. And the film's striking images seem more like a gallery of evocative stills than immersive cinema.

This week: An astounding 2022 preview. The upcoming poetry of Luci Shaw. And some initial thoughts on C'mon C'mon, Azor and Licorice Pizza.

This week: Malick's rollercoaster ride through the eons of history. Mia Hansen-Løve's film Bergman Island. All hail U2's The Edge!

Twenty years ago this weekend, I joined a fellowship at the local cineplex to witness an event that would change the art of movies — for better and for worse — for decades to come.

Merry Christmas early! The Weekender will be a Surprise Box, an unpredictable newsletter, a bulletin board of things I'd like to share that I would have expanded into full, individual posts if life had afforded me the time.

During November's Barnes and Noble Criterion sale, I took a chance on a film I've never seen before. I am so glad that I did. It's one of the great films about the possibilities and the dangers of religious faith.

In a season of sprawling epics and extravagant spectacle, Rebecca Hall's directorial debut is one of the year's finest exceptions: a quiet, focused film that knows exactly what it wants to be and efficiently achieves it.

Wes Anderson's devoting every resource at his disposal to realizing grander visions. The results are more like museums than paintings, more like restaurants than mere meals.

I'm hard-pressed to think of a more difficult conversation I've seen at the movies. Some will discover it, look up the 2021 Oscars, and wonder: Why was this overlooked?

This year's top prize at the Cannes film festival is an audacious, lurid circus that leaves me not only disappointed but actually regretting the experience.

Knathan Ryan and Dave Von Bieker are two friends whose music pops up in heavy rotation during my morning commutes. Their hopeful spirits inspire me; their artistry is personal, bright, and energetic; and their new songs hit just right in a time of quarantine fatigue.

Soderbergh is back doing what he does best — scattering criminals like billiard balls, and then knocking down one strong scene after another. He may not play a perfect game here, but this is one of his best in many years.

If you were asked to name five films that have been influential in shaping your faith in some way, what five films would you choose? I found this question extremely challenging. I am thrilled to share this video of my conversation with film scholar Catherine Barsotti, Renovaré president Chris Hall, and show host Carolyn Arends. Enjoy!

In the latest episode of the Looking Closer podcast, “Catholic Cinephile” Evan Cogswell makes an argument that Annette is a great musical and, in fact, his favorite film of the year so far.

How does it make any sense to give our attention to the dramatization of a society's violent overthrow while we we are watching it happen in the real world, right now, either elsewhere in the world or here, either swiftly or in slow motion? Nevertheless, this might be the best time for us to watch Quo vadis, Aida? and open our imaginations to its characters.

Special guest reviewer Micah Rickard offers some reflections on a very tricky matter that Cartoon Saloon's Wolfwalkers handles particularly well.