The Current Cinema
New Yorker film reviews.
“Civil War” Presents a Striking but Muddled State of Disunion
Kirsten Dunst plays a war photographer in the trenches of Alex Garland’s speculative dystopian thriller.
The Unexpected Delight of “Sasquatch Sunset”
In David and Nathan Zellner’s other films, the action often feels fabricated to yield images of twee idiosyncrasy. There is no similar sense of contrivance here.
Why Does the “Road House” Remake Pull Its Punches?
There’s lots of violence in Doug Liman’s update of the 1989 slugfest, but, despite the menacing presence of Jake Gyllenhaal, it’s more timid than its predecessor.
“Love Lies Bleeding” and the Perils of Genre
Crackling performances from Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian can’t quite disguise a thinness of characterization in Rose Glass’s neo-noir.
The Sterile Spectacle of “Dune: Part Two”
Denis Villeneuve’s sequel is better than its predecessor, but only in a few extravagant moments does it rise above proficiency and flirt with transcendence.
“About Dry Grasses” Is a Departure for Nuri Bilge Ceylan
The great Turkish director has a thing for misanthropic males, but the protagonist of his latest film encounters a woman who calls out knee-jerk cynicism.
A Philosophy of Pleasure in “The Taste of Things”
The film, starring Juliette Binoche as a chef at a country manor, is devoted to the long-ripened skills and sheer hard work that go into the giving of rapture.
A Birthday Party to Die for in “Tótem”
In Lila Avilés’s family drama, a young girl must confront her father’s terminal illness at a gathering of relatives.
Michael Mann’s Beguiling “Ferrari”
The film, starring Adam Driver as the company’s founder, features the trusty components of a Mann movie: the smooth mechanics of professional labor, plus the exhaust manifold of men’s emotional lives.
“The Zone of Interest” Finds Banality in the Evil of Auschwitz
Jonathan Glazer’s film about the family life of the Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss is calmly composed and fiercely controlled.