The seventies were a glorious time for filmmakers. From one film to the next, directors such as Hal Ashby, Jerry Schatzberg, Bob Rafelson (and more) made intoxicating works full of honesty and truth, achieving powerful emotion through rich characters and relatable situations. Through a career of mostly fantastic films, writer/director Alexander Payne has proven he paid close attention to the great auteurs of that fruitful

Beginning the year with a moving turn in the Sundance darling, "Sometimes I Think About Dying," Daisy Ridley continues her quest to carve out exciting performances in absorbing films. The actress ends 2023 with Neil Burger's "The Marsh King's Daughter." As with all adaptations of popular mainstream novels, fans of Karen Dionne's 2017 namesake work will likely lead the the book was better charge. While Burger's film (written by father and

Sofia Coppola has a precise directing style that keeps her unique and solidifies her as one of the most exciting filmmakers working today. The Oscar-winning director gives her films an artfully European aura. Graceful and ambient, her characters are crafted with precision and honesty and exist in an almost celestial cinematic world. For her latest film, "Priscilla," to come up so emotionally empty is disappointing.

Using narration, sprightly pop music, animation and a buoyant dance number, Maryam Kesharvarz's semi-autobiographical "The Persian Version" announces its unabashed free spirit from the opening moments.

Leila (an electrifying Layla Mohammadi) tells the story of her experiences being an openly gay woman in a Persian-American family. Comparing Iran and America to

Director Jesse V. Johnson has directed action movies that are more than respectable. He understands the advantage of working with skilled stunt teams and performers and knows how to create good action sequences. His films with Scott Adkins are fun, 2009’s “Triple Threat” was a career highlight as it starred some of the best martial artists alive today in dramatic fight sequences. Mostly setting his films in the modern era

Bill Burr is one of the funniest comedians working today. Along with colleagues Greg Proops and Marc Maron, Burr completes the modern trifecta of thinking man’s comedy, existing as that rare gem, a man who speaks his mind most truly. Never kowtowing to social climates, nor suffering fools, his act reflects his life and how he sees a country and a world that has gone askew. Burr’s voice is strong and honest. With “Old Dads'' (his debut film as writer/director), the comedian scores a win, crafting a comedy that skewers the self-righteousness of current America, while surprising with a script (co-written by Ben Tishler) that includes a heartfelt and introspective look at Burr’s emotional issues.

The use of reenactments cheapens certain documentary films. These moments are sometimes shot haphazardly and cause even the best documentaries to lose their impact. Chris Holt does indeed pepper his new film, “The Devil on Trial'', with scripted re-enactments, but the director breaks the mold, using the operating mode sparingly.

Though successfully used (more than once)