

Alissa Wilkinson
Posts

‘Great Absence’ Review: A Mystery of Disappearance
A skillfully directed Japanese mystery dips into the strangeness of dementia for those who stand by and watch.

Martin Scorsese’s ‘Made in England’ Is a Tribute to Powell-Pressburger Films
“Made in England” is an essay film about the artists whose passion and cinematography deeply influenced the American director.

In ‘The Shining,’ Shelley Duvall Was a Perfect Gothic Heroine
Her performance was perhaps misunderstood at the time, just as the narrative surrounding her life would be later.

‘Eno’ Review: Creativity, 52 Billion Billion Ways
A new documentary about the groundbreaking artist Brian Eno breaks its own ground, too.

The Best Documentaries of 2024, So Far
“Spermworld,” “Onlookers” and “32 Sounds” are worth watching for the different ways they allow us to see the world.

‘Space Cadet’ Review: Emma Roberts Shoots for the Stars
In a lightweight comedy, the actress plays a bartender who dreams of becoming an astronaut. One problem: She has no qualifications for the job.

‘This Closeness’ Review: So Near, So Far Away
An indie comedy set in an Airbnb leans into the ways we distance ourselves from one another.

A New Norman Mailer Documentary Explores His Thorny Legacy
“How to Come Alive With Norman Mailer” hits on an ingenious structure that avoids hagiography even as it includes friends and family.

‘Copa 71’ Documentary Shows Hidden History of Women’s World Cup
This new documentary unearths footage from a World Cup event that even veteran players didn’t know about. It’s both exhilarating and infuriating.

Donald Sutherland Didn’t Disappear Into Roles, and That Was a Good Thing
The actor understood the range of human feeling, but he came of age when movies distrusted institutions, and that suspicion was part of his arsenal.