‘Widows’ review — Viola Davis leads the best movie ensemble of the year

Widows is successfully a thrilling heist movie, emotional character study, and dissection of our current social climate. Widows is based on the 1983 British television show of the same name, but you wouldn't know that watching Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen's adaptation from a screenplay written by Gone Girl scribe Gillian Flynn. The film, which changes the location from London to…

‘High Flying Bird’ review — The politics of basketball

High Flying Bird is a masterfully constructed drama that tackles the professional sports business with as much intrigue as a heist movie.  30-second review: High Flying Bird doesn't clue you into its real intentions until the very end, that doesn't make the journey to get there any less compelling. Steven Soderbergh is a master of storytelling…

‘Little Woods’ review — Tessa Thompson goes against the system

Little Woods, Nia DaCosta's directorial debut, finds two sisters going up against a system that doesn't want them to succeed in One sentence review: Little Woods is a quiet, well-directed character-driven drama that features a powerhouse emotional performance by Tessa Thompson. One paragraph review: Though it may be on the nose at times, Little Woods is a tense and emotional look at…

‘Our Time Machine’ Tribeca review — Life, love, and puppets

Our Time Machine is a funny and moving documentary about an artist's attempt to cope with his father's illness by literally and metaphorically creating a time machine.  Directed by Yang Sun & S. Leo Chiang Written by S. Leo Chiang & Bob Lee Synopsis When artist Maleonn realizes that his father suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, he creates “Papa’s…