Reviews — In Reel Deep

Let's Predict the 2017 Oscars

With a mere 24 hours until the 2017 Academy Awards, In Reel Deep is here to offer some quick predictions on Hollywood's big night.

AwardsSteve CiminoFebruary 25, 2017emma stone, Natalie Portman, Mahershala Ali, Viola Davis, Casey Affleck, Denzel Washington, Damien Chazelle

'Hidden Figures'

It took a movie about three black female NASA employees to so expertly tap into the debilitating lows and uplifting highs of battling against everyday racism.

Reviews, DramaSteve CiminoFebruary 8, 2017Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Theodore Melfi, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst

'The Founder'

Someday there will be a wave of brilliant Donald Trump-inspired movies about megalomaniacal businessmen. This is not the beginning of that wave.

'Silence'

Martin Scorsese's latest is an uncomfortable and unrelenting historical epic.

Drama, ReviewsAndrew JohnsonJanuary 28, 2017Liam Neeson, Martin Scorsese, Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Ciaran Hinds, Issey Ogata, Yosuke Kubozuka

The Arts as a Public Good Are Under Attack

The value of art itself is already suffering under the new administration.

Essays and AnalysisAndrew JohnsonJanuary 23, 2017Donald Trump, Errol Morris, Orson Welles

The Best of 2016

In Reel Deep presents its best of 2016, a list of all the finest films that made us laugh, cry, and cheer over the last 12 months.

'Paterson'

It's not easy to get excited for a film summarized as "a bus driver is also a poet." But you'd be a fool to skip it, because Jim Jarmusch's latest is also one of 2016's best.

'13th'

In a year full of great documentaries, Ava DuVernay's searing look at black mass incarceration might be the best of all.

Reviews, DocumentarySteve CiminoJanuary 4, 2017Ava DuVernay

'Jackie'

It's refreshing to see a biopic about a woman, and a First Lady at that. Unfortunately, despite Natalie Portman's best efforts, Jackie isn't anything to remember.

Reviews, DramaSteve CiminoJanuary 3, 2017Natalie Portman, Pablo Larraín, Peter Sarsgaard, Billy Crudup, John Hurt, Greta Gerwig

The Tipping Point Year

The relentless march of franchise films was again the story of the year, but for our Executive Editor, 2016 was a tipping point.

Box Office, Business, Essays and AnalysisAndrew JohnsonDecember 31, 2016

'La La Land'

Damien Chazelle uses the long-lost, song-and-dance Hollywood musical to explore ideas about artistic purity.

Reviews, Romance, Musicals, ComedyAndrew JohnsonDecember 29, 2016Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, J.K. Simmons, Damien Chazelle, John Legend, Rosemarie Dewitt

Carrie Fisher Brought Character

Carrie Fisher's on-screen toughness seemed something personal, and was certainly something to admire.

Features, TributesAndrew JohnsonDecember 27, 2016Carrie Fisher

'Rogue One'

Though Rogue One's last 45 minutes are perhaps the most shocking and adult of the Star Wars movies, nothing about this standalone space story stands out from the big-budget crowd.

'Manchester by the Sea'

For a film that jumps from present to past and back again, Manchester by the Sea never leans on that crutch so much as embraces its potential.

Drama, ReviewsSteve CiminoDecember 7, 2016casey affleck, Kenneth Lonergan, kyle chandler, Lucas Hedges, michelle williams

The Paradox of Classic Film in the Streaming Age

More content than ever before is available to cinephiles, but becoming a cinephile has become hard.

Business, Features, TechnologyAndrew JohnsonNovember 29, 2016

'Nocturnal Animals'

Tom Ford's latest examines the place where art, emotion, and personal history converge, presented via a Texas highway at midnight and the torment that follows a heinous crime.

'The Handmaiden'

In Park Chan-wook's latest, the women are uncertain but crafty, the men are sex-starved yet money-driven, and the end result feels earned rather than prescribed.

Drama, ReviewsSteve CiminoNovember 22, 2016Cho Jin-woong, Ha Jung-woo, Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Oldboy, park chan-wook, The Handmaiden

'Arrival'

Arrival is the adults-only science fiction film for the year, but why is 2016's entry leaving us feeling so unfulfilled?

Drama, Reviews, Science FictionAndrew JohnsonNovember 18, 2016amy adams, Denis Villeneuve, forest whitaker, Jeremy Renner, Michael Stuhlbarg

Reminder: A Movie Is an 'Empathy Machine'

In the wake of a fierce, dehumanizing election cycle, we turn to the wisdom of Roger Ebert for a reminder that, yes, film can help.

Essays and Analysis, FeaturesAndrew JohnsonNovember 12, 2016roger ebert

'Doctor Strange'

Doctor Strange is another win for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even if it mostly exists to set Benedict Cumberbatch's Good Doctor up for future adventures.