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Articles by Peter Rainer
‘The Odyssey’: Expansive tale, meet expansive screen
Rereading Homer’s “The Odyssey” recently after many years, I was thunderstruck by just how “cinematic” this eighth-century B.C. Bronze Age epic poem is. Parallel plots, digressions, flashbacks, flash-forwards, love, passion, war, gods galore: It’s all there, the granddaddy of all epic scenarios. It is, as the classicist Daniel Mendelsohn has said, “a text about storytelling.” I would venture to say it is the text about storytelling.
Epic literature doesn’t always make an epic movie. Here are some joyous exceptions.
Being both a movie maven and a lit guy, I’ve often bemoaned the dearth of great movies adapted from great books – a thought prompted once again by the imminent release of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.” The reasons for this scarcity are legion. A great novel or short story is great in large part not because of its plot but because of the ways in which the author has framed his or her very personal way of seeing, of feeling. The language employed is indistinguishable from the author’s vision.
‘The Sheep Detectives’ is a tender fable wrapped in a murder mystery
The buzz on “The Sheep Detectives” was that it’s a cross between “Babe” and “Knives Out.” Turns out, the buzz is true. Hugh Jackman plays George, a shepherd tending his flock in an idyllic, isolated meadow in the fictional English village of Denbrook. A loner who lives in a camper, George is surly to neighboring townspeople but infinitely protective of his sheep, whom he raises only for their wool.
‘The Sheep Detectives’ is a tender fable wrapped in a murder mystery
Netflix's new crime thriller show is the streaming service's answer to 'Slow Horses' — and I literally couldn't stop watching When I first saw the trailer for "Legends," I was sold right away. For those of you who don't know me, I am nothing if not a fan of a crime thriller …
‘The Sheep Detectives’ is a tender fable wrapped in a murder mystery
The buzz on “The Sheep Detectives” was that it’s a cross between “Babe” and “Knives Out.” Turns out, the buzz is true. Hugh Jackman plays George, a shepherd tending his flock in an idyllic, isolated meadow in the fictional English village of Denbrook. A loner who lives in a camper, George is surly to neighboring townspeople but infinitely protective of his sheep, whom he raises only for their wool.
Legendary creator of ‘Saturday Night Live’ remains an enigma in ‘Lorne’
As a 20-something in 1975, I remember watching the first “Saturday Night Live” show and thinking how different it was from anything else on television. The gifted, unruly cast members – the Not Ready For Prime Time Players – had a counterculture vibe that hit home for many of us. They seemed to be saying and doing things – about pop culture, dating culture, politics, whatever – that the more staid TV comedy variety and talk shows avoided. I wondered who was behind it all.
Ahead of the Oscars: Our critic’s picks for the best acting awards
It’s Academy Awards season, and that means it’s time for my annual Oscar survey highlighting my best picks in the acting categories. Whenever I am asked about the best part of being a film critic, my answer often comes down to the acting. No matter how mediocre a movie, the saving grace of a terrific performance almost always serves as a life raft. I am forever amazed at how good actors are able to insinuate themselves into the very depths of the people they play.
From ‘The Godfather’ to ‘Tender Mercies,’ Robert Duvall made each role his own
If there is one word that characterizes what Robert Duvall stood for as an actor, it’s “authenticity.” He spent more than seven decades as an actor in movies and television and on the stage, and I’d be hard pressed to recall a single performance where he did not fully inhabit the person he was playing.
Cannes favorite ‘The President’s Cake’ is a fable with real-world immediacy
“The President’s Cake,” set in early 1990s Iraq during the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein, is a fable with a startling, real-world immediacy. Watching it, we are aware that the odyssey of its 9-year-old protagonist, Lamia (the remarkable Baneen Ahmed Nayyef), represents something much larger. And yet we never lose sight of the fact that Lamia’s story also belongs to her alone.
‘Young Mothers’ paints a compassionate portrait of teen motherhood
“Young Mothers,” set in Liège, Belgium, is a remarkable fiction film about five teenage women living in a maternity home with their newborns, or with babies on the way. Winner of the best screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival, it opens up the lives of these women with startling immediacy. The co-writer-directors, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, are renowned for their naturalistic approach to the everyday, working-class experience.
Ralph Fiennes heads a stellar cast in rousing drama ‘The Choral’
Set in a fictional mill town in Yorkshire, England, two years into World War I, “The Choral” can be described as old-fashioned in the best sense. The period details are lovingly applied; the script, by the great Alan Bennett, is beautifully crafted; and the performances, led by the marvelous Ralph Fiennes as the town’s reluctant choirmaster, are all standouts. It’s the kind of movie that doesn’t get made much anymore, and more’s the pity.
Rob Reiner directed great comedies. He was also a voice for social justice.
When the news broke about the deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, the outpouring of grief from the Hollywood community and beyond was instantaneous and overwhelming. But the grief was of a kind not usually associated with the passing of even the biggest movie icons. When a major star or filmmaker dies, we as moviegoers may feel the loss in ways that seem weirdly personal.
Exquisite indies help make 2025 a marquee year at the movies
The biggest news coming out of Hollywood in 2025 was less about the movies themselves than about the future of the business. Just this month, the pending purchase of the legacy studio Warner Bros. by the streamer Netflix set the town abuzz. (Paramount Studios later launched a competing $108 billion bid to buy Warner Bros.
‘Knives Out’ returns with a knotty case and more of Daniel Craig’s virtuoso detective
Writer-director Rian Johnson’s “Wake Up Dead Man” is the third in the “Knives Out” series and possibly the best. It’s a return, of sorts, to the Gothic trappings of the first entry, which starred Christopher Plummer as a patriarch whose demise kicks off the murder plot. The second film, “Glass Onion,” set on a sparkling Greek isle, featured Edward Norton as an Elon Musk-ish billionaire. The gorgeous scenery outshone the convoluted whodunit machinations.
Linklater’s ‘Nouvelle Vague’ is so much more than a film about a film
Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague” is a movie about the making of a movie. If that sounds too esoteric, there’s more: It’s in French, in black and white, with English subtitles. The film being chronicled is Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless,” the 1960 French New Wave classic starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg that changed the face of cinema. I greatly enjoyed “Nouvelle Vague,” but will anybody besides cinemaniacs and “Breathless” devotees appreciate it? I think the answer is yes.
‘Train Dreams’ review: A powerful, spare look at a vanishing way of life
“Train Dreams,” set mostly in the early 20th century in the Pacific Northwest, is a beautiful tone poem of a movie. I hesitate to say that only because it implies something woozy and precious. “Train Dreams” is anything but. It’s about Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a logger who lived as an itinerant laborer until he met Gladys (Felicity Jones), got married, and fathered a baby girl. Having a family gives a measure of meaning to his existence.
The Boss was riding high. ‘Springsteen’ shows what happened next.
I’ve often been curious why Bruce Springsteen never chose to act in a movie. Even Bob Dylan, perhaps the least emotive folk-rock stage performer of all time, showed up in a couple of films. Springsteen, by contrast, is nothing if not stirring onstage. His leather-jacketed prole persona carries Brando and Pacino vibes. Instead, it’s been left to Jeremy Allen White to portray the Boss in “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” written and directed by Scott Cooper.
Hart wrote some of the most aching lyrics of all time. Then musicals left him behind.
Hollywood has always been overly fond of depicting the lives of creative artists as deeply troubled. Geniuses, apparently, must be shown to suffer for their art. One artist, however, who definitely did live such a life was Lorenz Hart, the subject of the mostly marvelous new Richard Linklater movie “Blue Moon,” starring Ethan Hawke.
‘It Was Just an Accident’: Jafar Panahi’s latest explores forgiveness and mercy
The backstory to “It Was Just an Accident,” the extraordinary new movie from the Iranian director Jafar Panahi, is integral to its meaning. Winner of the 2025 Palme d’Or at Cannes – that festival’s highest honor – it’s about the ways revenge and mercy play out among a group of ordinary citizens who suffered the tyrannies of the Islamic Republic. Panahi himself has famously endured the ongoing wrath of a regime of which he has been openly critical.
In an extraordinary film, an Iranian director explores forgiveness and mercy
The backstory to “It Was Just an Accident,” the extraordinary new movie from the Iranian director Jafar Panahi, is integral to its meaning. Winner of the 2025 Palme d’Or at Cannes – that festival’s highest honor – it’s about the ways revenge and mercy play out among a group of ordinary citizens who suffered the tyrannies of the Islamic Republic. Panahi himself has famously endured the ongoing wrath of a regime of which he has been openly critical.
Robert Redford forged a path in Hollywood that went beyond movie stardom
On the screen, Robert Redford often played antiheroes. His distinction was that his antiheroes looked like heroes. In other words, they looked like Robert Redford. No other actor had such reserves of glamor. Offscreen, as the founder of the Sundance Institute, the person who made the Sundance Film Festival what it is today, and a tireless environmental activist, he became a real-life hero.
Grab your popcorn and a seat. Toronto celebrates 50 years of moviegoing.
Screening over 200 movies in 11 days, the Toronto International Film Festival is wrapping up its 50th anniversary. I’ve attended 25 of these pageants of full-blown cinemania. A lot has happened to the movie business in the interim: the rising costs of production; the erosion of theatrical attendance, which predated the pandemic, largely because of streaming; the advent of technologies like artificial intelligence.
In ‘Preparation for the Next Life,’ a couple searches for peace in a teeming world
“Preparation for the Next Life” is about two itinerants living on the margins of society. Aishe (Sebiye Behtiyar) is an unauthorized Uyghur immigrant trying to eke out a living in a Chinese community in New York. Skinner (Fred Hechinger) is recently discharged from three tours of duty in the Middle East. They meet up in their newfound world and, as best they can, try to comprehend each other’s complicated lives. Both have already endured much.
In moving film ‘A Little Prayer,’ a family tests the bonds that hold us together
“A Little Prayer” opens as the camera slowly tracks up a deserted, tree-lined suburban street in North Carolina. Coming from somewhere in the distance, a woman is heard singing a hymn in the crisp, early morning air. This is the deceptively gentle opening to a movie about a family in deep disarray. But the writer-director, Angus MacLachlan – he wrote the script for the genial Amy Adams indie hit “Junebug” – is not one to exploit turmoil.
French film ‘The Musicians’ and its classical quartet hit the right notes
The delightful new French comedy-drama “The Musicians” (“Les Musiciens”) opens with a shot deep inside the sound box of a Stradivarius violin. It’s the perfect way to begin a movie about a string quartet. Their instruments are transports to bliss. That bliss arrives eventually, but the journey is fraught. The disparate musicians have been assembled by Astrid (Valérie Donzelli), who manages the corporate empire of her late father, a tycoon and arts philanthropist.
Plenty of movies revel in violence. ‘Sorry, Baby’ revels in honesty and healing.
I’ve written in the past about my objections to the cavalier way in which violence is usually portrayed in movies. Not often are we shown the emotional and psychological consequences of violence. I was reminded of this as I watched Eva Victor’s remarkable writing-directing debut feature, “Sorry, Baby.” It deals with the sexual assault of Agnes, played by Victor, a young English lit grad student in a leafy New England college town. The assault is never shown, only discussed.
“F1: The Movie” is propulsive. Brad Pitt holds the high-tech ride together.
A lot of nonsense has been spouted in recent years about the supposed death, or near death, of the genuine movie star. When “Top Gun: Maverick” came out, Tom Cruise was routinely referred to in the press as the last of his kind. Now we have “F1: The Movie,” the propulsive Formula One racing car Imax extravaganza starring Brad Pitt, a movie star if ever there was one.
Not quite a rom-com, ‘Materialists’ is messy but enthralling
“You are going to marry the love of your life.” This is what Lucy, the professional matchmaker, promises her high-end clients in writer-director Celine Song’s flawed but often enthralling “Materialists.” Lucy works for a ritzy company aptly named Adore and has just brokered her ninth client wedding. She is also single and celibate, and regards marriage as a cost-benefit proposition. Is Lucy, superbly played by Dakota Johnson, a hypocrite? Not exactly.
One more ‘Mission’ - should you choose to accept it
The “Mission: Impossible” franchise, begun in 1996, reaches what is purported to be its final reckoning in “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.” Given Tom Cruise’s flair for stunt acrobatics and Hollywood’s penchant for perpetually cashing in on a good thing, I wouldn’t count on it.
From Paris to Pemberley: French ‘Jane Austen Wrecked My Life’ revels in romance
“I am not living in the right century,” bemoans Agathe Robinson (Camille Rutherford), the heroine of the eccentrically entertaining French romantic comedy “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” (“Jane Austen a gâché ma vie”). Feisty, single, and prone to melancholy, Agathe works in Paris’ legendary Shakespeare and Company bookstore. Austen’s novels have spoiled her.
‘The Friend’ is a smart vehicle for Naomi Watts. And her Great Dane co-star.
Skip to main content Already a subscriber? We want to bridge divides to reach everyone. | Pity the poor actor who has to co-star opposite a 150-pound harlequin Great Dane. This is what happens to Naomi Watts in “The Friend,” except in this case no pity is required. She gives one of her best performances ever. The Great Dane is no slouch, either. I should state up front that this is not a typical rampaging-dogs-and-their-frazzled-owners funfest.
Wit and wonder fuel 5-star ‘The Ballad of Wallis Island’
“The Ballad of Wallis Island” is both modest and magical. One of its co-stars, Carey Mulligan, has described its tone as a “gentle euphoria.” That phrase perfectly expresses how this wonderful movie – directed by James Griffiths from a script by Tom Basden and Tim Key – transports us. Basden plays Herb McGwyer, a British pop rock star who has accepted a high-paying solo gig on a remote island off the coast of England.
As the Oscars near, there’s still time to see these best performances
As a film critic who sees upwards of 200 movies a year, I am often asked how I survive such a marathon. Aside from having a massive love of moviegoing, the answer is that I have an outlandish love of good acting. Even the most dubious of films often features a performance or a cameo that hits home. Lying in wait for this work is what keeps me, and I suspect many others, in a happy state of expectation. I look forward to being astonished, and when I am, all – well, almost all – is forgiven.
In film ‘I’m Still Here,’ a compelling search for justice in 1970s Brazil
The truism “The personal is political” has never seemed more apt than in the new movie “I’m Still Here.” Brazil’s Oscar submission for best international feature, it centers on the real-life Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres), a mother of five. Her husband, Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello), a former congressman exiled for a time, was “disappeared” by the reigning military dictatorship in 1971. The film is both a powerful portrait of a displaced family and, inevitably, a drama of a country under siege.
In ‘I’m Still Here,’ A Compelling Search For Justice In 1970s Brazil - The Christian Science Monitor
The truism “The personal is political” has never seemed more apt than in the new movie “I’m Still Here.” Brazil’s Oscar submission for best international feature, it centers on the real-life Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres), a mother of five. Her husband, Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello), a former congressman exiled for a time, was “disappeared” by the reigning military dictatorship in 1971. The film is both a powerful
Yes, Chalamet can sing. But can ‘A Complete Unknown’ capture Bob Dylan?
Skip to main content We want to bridge divides to reach everyone. | Biopics about music icons occupy a long and occasionally honorable place in the movies. Most recently Maria Callas, Elton John, Freddie Mercury, Leonard Bernstein, Amy Winehouse, and Elvis Presley got the treatment. Jeremy Allen White is set to play Bruce Springsteen.
With his absorbing film ‘Hard Truths,’ director Mike Leigh sees people in full
Skip to main content We want to bridge divides to reach everyone. | Mike Leigh sees people in full. He knows that how we present ourselves to others does not always express who we really are. He literally takes nothing at face value. This gift, this humanism, is particularly pertinent to his fine new film, “Hard Truths,” because its central character is someone who often behaves unconscionably. Leigh is certainly not endorsing such behavior.
Grab your popcorn: Here are the 10 best films of 2024
This year was supposed to be a transitional year for movies. The aftermath of the pandemic, and the Hollywood labor strikes in 2023 that shut down production for months, promised a thin crop. And yet, as someone who sat through upward of 200 movies, I can attest that the year was anything but skimpy. Which is not to say there was a plethora of masterpieces, especially from the studios.
Five-star ‘Flow’ and chatty ‘Moana 2’ offer eye-widening animated delights
It’s been an auspicious year for animation aficionados. To name only a few of the most recently heralded: “Inside Out 2,” “The Wild Robot,” and the more adult-themed “Memoir of a Snail.” “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” is on the horizon. Just arriving are two more of note – “Flow” and “Moana 2.” Let’s start with “Flow,” a graphic wonder from the Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis.
Five-star ‘Flow’ And Chatty ‘Moana 2’ Offer Eye-widening Animated Delights - The Christian Science Monitor
It’s been an auspicious year for animation aficionados. To name only a few of the most recently heralded: “Inside Out 2,” “The Wild Robot,” and the more adult-themed “Memoir of a Snail.” “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” is on the horizon. Just arriving are two more of note – “Flow” and “Moana 2.” Let’s start with “Flow,” a graphic wonder from the Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis. It’s no secret that the best animated movies
In top-notch Indian film, three Mumbai women encounter what makes a life worth living
“All We Imagine as Light,” the marvelous new movie written and directed by Payal Kapadia, opens in Mumbai with documentary-style footage showing the huddled and the displaced. In this teeming Indian metropolis, only impermanence is permanent. It has been called a city of dreams, but, in the course of the film, it comes to resemble a city of illusions.
In Top-notch Indian Film, Three Mumbai Women Encounter What Makes A Life Worth Living - The Christian Science Monitor
“All We Imagine as Light,” the marvelous new movie written and directed by Payal Kapadia, opens in Mumbai with documentary-style footage showing the huddled and the displaced. In this teeming Indian metropolis, only impermanence is permanent. It has been called a city of dreams, but, in the course of the film, it comes to resemble a city of illusions. Following this overview, the film – winner
‘Emilia Pérez’ breaks genres and bursts into song in a one-of-a-kind movie
Certain movies are sometimes referred to as genre-breaking but “Emilia Pérez” carries this designation to the wildest extreme. It’s a feminist musical crime thriller about a transgender cartel boss. Doubly surprising is that, for all its strangeness – or perhaps because of it – the mashup often works. Rita Mora Castro (Zoe Saldaña), a Mexican attorney, is fed up wasting her talent successfully defending crooks and killers.
‘Emilia Pérez’ Breaks Genres And Bursts Into Song In A One-of-a-kind Movie - The Christian Science Monitor
Certain movies are sometimes referred to as genre-breaking but “Emilia Pérez” carries this designation to the wildest extreme. It’s a feminist musical crime thriller about a transgender cartel boss. Doubly surprising is that, for all its strangeness – or perhaps because of it – the mashup often works. Rita Mora Castro (Zoe Saldaña), a Mexican attorney, is fed up wasting her talent successfully defending crooks and killers. Shortly after her latest victory, she is
In ‘A Real Pain,’ a road trip whose emotional power sneaks up on you
“A Real Pain,” written by, directed by, and co-starring Jesse Eisenberg, is the kind of movie that creeps up on you. When I first saw it, I found it smart and engaging but also a tad tenuous. A road movie about two New York cousins who embark on a Holocaust history tour in Poland, it feels shaggy and discursive at the outset. But all that looseness is a decoy. A lot of emotional weight is packed into this seriocomic ramble if you know where to look.
In ‘A Real Pain,’ A Road Trip Whose Emotional Power Sneaks Up On You - The Christian Science Monitor
“A Real Pain,” written by, directed by, and co-starring Jesse Eisenberg, is the kind of movie that creeps up on you. When I first saw it, I found it smart and engaging but also a tad tenuous. A road movie about two New York cousins who embark on a Holocaust history tour in Poland, it feels shaggy and discursive at the outset. But all that looseness is a decoy. A lot
‘Road Diary’ documentary offers a front-row seat to stellar Bruce Springsteen
Documentaries about performing artists are only as interesting as the artists being documented. In the case of “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band,” one needn’t fret. The Boss is entirely captivating. So is the movie – sort of. Directed by longtime Springsteen documentarian Thom Zimny, it chronicles the worldwide concert tour of the E Street Band in 2023 after a six-year hiatus from performing in front of a live audience.
‘Anora’ thinks she’s found her Prince Charming. This 5-star movie is no fairy tale.
“Anora,” written and directed by Sean Baker, is a startlingly empathetic film about an exotic dancer in a New York “gentlemen’s club.” The reason it’s startling is that we’re used to seeing sexually explicit material like this sensationalized onscreen. But Baker is a humanist – there is nothing exploitative about what he does here. He’s after deeper emotional truths. Perhaps this is why “Anora” has been internationally acclaimed.
‘Anora’ Thinks She’s Found Her Prince Charming. This 5-star Movie Is No Fairy Tale. - The Christian Science Monitor
“Anora,” written and directed by Sean Baker, is a startlingly empathetic film about an exotic dancer in a New York “gentlemen’s club.” The reason it’s startling is that we’re used to seeing sexually explicit material like this sensationalized onscreen. But Baker is a humanist – there is nothing exploitative about what he does here. He’s after deeper emotional truths. Perhaps this is why “Anora” has been internationally acclaimed. It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, that
‘Saturday Night’: Diverting ‘SNL’ origin story re-creates 1975 debut
The entertainingly madcap “Saturday Night” takes place in the frenetic 90-minute run-up to the airing of the first “Saturday Night Live” show on Oct. 11, 1975. The events appear to be happening almost in real time, and in one continuous shot. The film’s director, Jason Reitman, maintains this deception by whizzing his camera in and out of dressing rooms, hallways, soundstages, the streets outside New York City’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza – just about everywhere.
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