The nifty low-budget indie The Endless stars directors Justin Benson (who also penned the film’s canny screenplay) and Aaron Moorhead as Justin and Aaron, two brothers who escaped from a […]
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Author: Gary M. Kramer
Gary M. Kramer is a Philadelphia-based freelance writer. He is the co-editor of Directory of World Cinema: Argentina. Volumes 1 and 2, and teaches seminars at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer.
You Were Never Really Here review
Lynne Ramsay’s astonishing film, You Were Never Really Here, adapted from Jonathan Ames’ noir novella is a taut, hypnotic drama. It is also one of the best films of the […]
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The Death of Stalin review
Despite the title, The Death of Stalin is a comedy. And a very funny one at that. Directed and co-written by Armando Iannucci (of In the Loop and Veep fame), […]
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Oscar Nominated Live Action Short Films
Short films rely on the formula: Setup. Suspense. Payoff. The five nominees for this year’s Live Action Short Film Oscar are a mixed bag. All of the films depict characters […]
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Gary’s Top Ten Films of 2017
After watching more than four hundred films in 2017, it is always difficult to come up with a “Ten Best” list. How can I measure the achievement of Paul Thomas […]
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Ferdinand review
Ferdinand is a lively, animated film adaptation of Munro Leaf’s classic children’s book. The story concerns the title bull (voiced by John Cena), who would rather smell flowers than fight. […]
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Wait for Your Laugh review
Wait for Your Laugh chronicles supreme singer/comedienne Rose Marie’s 90 years of performing. It is an affectionate documentary that is more somber than funny. Director/co-writer Jason Wise charts Rose Marie’s […]
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Take Every Wave review
The fabulous surfing footage is the best—and perhaps only—reason to see Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton, an overlong and underwhelming documentary about the pioneering big wave surfer. […]
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Year by the Sea review
Year by the Sea, based on Joan Anderson’s bestselling memoir, is a “nice” film. It could play well on either the Hallmark Channel or Lifetime Television. This comedy-drama, written and […]
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The Only Living Boy in New York review
The troubled, bespectacled title character in The Only Living Boy in New York is Thomas Webb (Callum Turner), the twenty-something scion of Ethan Webb (Pierce Brosnan), a wealthy New York […]
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The Big Sick review
Kumail (Kumail Nanjiani) is the Pakistani-American protagonist of The Big Sick, a romantic comedy-drama full of equal parts heart and humor. His parents Azmat (Anupam Kher) and Sharmeen (Zenobia Shroff) […]
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