James RutherfordJun 26, 2019'Call Me By Your Name': An Exquisite and Sincere Coming-of-Age StoryBased on the novel by André Aciman, "Call Me By Your Name" follows 17-year old Elio (Timothée Chalamet) as he vacations with his family...
James RutherfordJun 20, 2019'Sexy Beast': A Ferocious and Shockingly Brazen Neo-Classic British Gangster DramaSexy Beast (2000) is a ferocious British gangster film starring Ray Winstone as Gal, a former London mob lieutenant who has retired to...
James RutherfordJun 17, 2019'Blue Velvet': David Lynch’s Seminal Neo-Noir Mystery ThrillerWritten and directed by David Lynch (Twin Peaks”, “Mulholland Drive”), “Blue Velvet” is an unconventional mystery-thriller about a small...
James RutherfordJun 16, 2019'Miller’s Crossing': A Spirited Prohibition-era Gangster Film from the Venerable Coen BrothersWritten and directed by the venerable Coen Brothers ("Fargo", "The Big Lebowski"),, “Miller’s Crossing” (1990) is a spirited...
James RutherfordJun 15, 2019'Lady Bird': Greta Girwig's Unique and Emotionally Resonant Comedy-Drama "Lady Bird" is actress Greta Gerwig’s semi-autobiographical depiction of her own teenage years in Sacramento, CA, spotlighting that...
James RutherfordJun 13, 2019'Memento': An Innovative Psychological Thriller Told Brilliantly in Reverse-Chronological Order“Memento” (2000) is a wildly innovative psychological thriller staring Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, an insurance investigator mourning...
James RutherfordJun 12, 2019'Tigerland': A Galvanizing and Provocative Vietnam War-Era Military DramaA resounding human drama courtesy of veteran filmmaker Joel Schumacher ("The Lost Boys", "A Time to Kill"), “Tigerland” (2000) is a...
James RutherfordJun 11, 2019'Drugstore Cowboy': Gus Van Sant's Unique Depiction of Addiction and DesperationSet in the Pacific Northwest in 1971, “Drugstore Cowboy” (1989) is a lively dark comedy that follows a group of downtrodden drug addicts,...
James RutherfordJun 8, 2019'Pi': A Brilliant Psychological Thriller From the Mind of Darren Aronofsky The feature-length debut of famed auteur Darren Aronofksy ("Black Swan", "Mother!"), “Pi” (1998) is a dense psychological thriller shot...
James RutherfordJun 2, 2019‘La Femme Nikita’: A Vigorous, High-Voltage 90’s-Era Action Thriller from France“La Femme Nikita” (1990) is a dynamic urban action thriller from French writer/director Luc Besson (“Léon: The Professional’, “Arthur and...
James RutherfordMay 30, 2019'12 Years A Slave': A Stunningly Powerful Depiction of One Man's Struggle to Escape Slavery “12 Years A Slave” (2013) is the feature film adaption of Solomon Northup's 1853 autobiography, detailing his abduction and forced...
James RutherfordMay 26, 2019'The Salt of the Earth': An Extraordinary Depiction of Dedication and Accomplishment"The Salt of the Earth” ("Le Sel de la Terre") is a 2014 biographical documentary about famed Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado....
James RutherfordMay 23, 2019'The Hurt Locker': A Masterful and Boldly Visceral Modern War Thriller“The Hurt Locker” (2008) is a bold and visceral war thriller starring Jeremy Renner as William James, a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army...
James RutherfordMay 21, 2019'Pelle the Conquerer': A Resounding Depiction of Human Resilience and ReclamationSet in the 1850s, Pelle the Conqueror (Pelle Erobreren) is a Danish-Swedish drama from 1987 about an elderly man named Lasse (Max von...
James RutherfordMay 16, 2019'Metro Manila': A Dynamic, Nail-Biting Drama/Thriller from The Philippines“Metro Manila” (2013) is a British film set in The Philippines that opens with Filipino rice farmer Oscar Ramirez (Jake Macapagal)...
James RutherfordMay 16, 2019'Monsieur Lazhar': A Beautiful, Heartrending Depiction of Loss and Reconciliation"Monsieur Lazhar" (2011) is a somber, absorbing French-language drama from Québec, Canada about an Algerian immigrant living in Montreal,...
James RutherfordMay 9, 2019My 10 Favorite Films from the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival1. Roads “Roads” is the story of a capricious British teen named named Gyllen (Fionn Whitehead) who steals his step-father’s recreational...
James RutherfordMay 3, 2019'Blood Simple': A Gripping 80's-Era Neo-Noir Thriller from the Esteemed Coen BrothersThe first feature-length film from Joel and Ethan Coen (Fargo, No Country For Old Men), “Blood Simple” (1984) is a razor-sharp thriller...
James RutherfordApr 26, 2019'Wonder Boys': A Stoner Professor's Hilarious Escapades Throughout the City of Pittsburgh “Wonder Boys” (2000) is the highly amusing and engaging story of Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas), an aging novelist and English professor...
James RutherfordApr 19, 2019'Whiplash': An Exhilarating Depiction of the Relentless Pursuit of Perfection“Whiplash” (2014) is the intense and captivating story of young musical prodigy Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller), a performing arts student...
James RutherfordApr 11, 2019'Everybody Wants Some!!': A Genuinely Entertaining and Charming Comedy About College Life in 1980"Everybody Wants Some!!" (2016) is writer/director Richard Linklater’s indirect “sequel in spirit” to his modern classic "Dazed and...
James RutherfordApr 5, 2019'Jackie': An Intimate, Compelling Depiction of Historical Tragedy and Grief"Jackie" (2016) is an intimate portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy (Natalie Portman) in the days following the assassination of her husband,...
James RutherfordMar 28, 2019'Exit Through the Gift Shop': Banksy's Immensely Entertaining Homage to Street Art Culture"Exit Through the Gift Shop" (2010) is a highly entertaining British documentary centered around the phenomenon of street art and...
James RutherfordMar 22, 2019‘Bronson’: A Fiercely Inventive Depiction of Britain’s Most Violent Prisoner“Bronson” (2008) is a wildly inventive and darkly comical depiction of the life of Michael Peterson aka “Charles Bronson", the infamous...