Guillermo del Toro already showed he could make a film like “The Shape of Water” before. His gift for turning historical fiction into fairy tales was abundantly clear in the stunning 2006 film “Pan’s Labyrinth” – it’s just a shame we had to wait so long for him to enchant us again.

A racially tense southern-set period drama, “Mudbound” has a familiar tone and perspective, a vibe reminiscent of a more traditional era of cinematic storytelling. Yet that’s not to diminish the work of Dee Rees, whose feature follow-up to 2011’s “Pariah” is beautifully shot and firmly grounded in honest reality and modest hope.

Within minutes, “Lady Macbeth” sets a familiar period romance stage: a very young woman in 19th century rural England is sold into marriage to a cold fish husband and an even nastier father-in-law and in her isolation begins an affair with the stable groom on the family estate. We immediately sympathize with Katherine (Florence Pugh) […]

Two of the last three years I’ve enjoyed writing this little Oscar nomination response column as a counter to the many snub-related post out there that rant and ramble, fixated on who should’ve been recognized for their work. I’m more interested in Academy trends and the way the cultural narrative shapes the Oscars, which is […]

Obviously no Best Picture race at the Academy Awards this year could compare to “La La Land” vs. “Moonlight.” And you could argue that would be true even after last year’s big scandal. The truth is, anything can happen on Oscar night in the Best Picture category, and the diversity of opinions on this year’s […]

Films that seem to make time stop or get us to consider how the small thread that is our lives fits into the massive tapestry of the universe are rare. Their artistic ambition usually leads to divisiveness among audiences, like an abstract painting that confounds one person but strikes a nerve in the next. “A […]