Peter Jackson’s ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’

Guillermo del Toro takes us for a ride

If you read The Hobbit and you’re still confused by the conclusion of this totally superfluous three-film epic, don’t worry. Just count the number of animals you can ride into war in Middle Earth.

Alaina Johns

Jan 20, 2015 · Articles · 5 minute read

Paul Thomas Anderson’s 'Inherent Vice'

Seriously weird

The trick to enjoying Inherent Vice is to just let the thing wash over you, laugh at the jokes, and don’t fret too much (or at all) about the details. This is substantially easier if you are a fan, as its protagonist is, of late-night movie marathons.

Jake Blumgart

Jan 13, 2015 · Articles · 4 minute read

ABC's 'Shark Tank'

Capitalism 101: The good, the bad, and the ugly

The lesson of Shark Tank is not just that it is better to be a shark than a guppy, but that sharks are, by nature, killing machines that do not play nice. It might make for good TV but without significant outside intervention, life in a shark tank is neither just nor sustainable. I hope those Shark Tank viewers with big dreams are seeing that part of the show as well.

Jim Cosby

Jan 06, 2015 · Articles · 5 minute read

Iñárritu’s ‘Birdman’

The paradox of art

Birdman is a film that asks and doesn’t answer important questions about life, art, and cyberspace.

Victor L. Schermer

Jan 04, 2015 · Articles · 5 minute read

Bennett Miller's 'Foxcatcher'

Crooked silence

The relationship between the Schultz brothers is as intense as any seen on film. Their wrestling early in the movie is a fierce, wordless depiction of sibling rivalry and harmonic grace. It’s a grace that John du Pont — despite his money — lacks and sorely wants. And if he can’t have it, he can figure out ways to destroy it.

Ilene Raymond Rush

Jan 04, 2015 · Articles · 3 minute read

Morten Tyldum's 'Imitation Game'

A life encrypted

The Imitation Game amply demonstrates the intellectual and personal courage that accompanied Turing's singular genius. A man who penetrated secrets, he was also forced to keep them — not only those of Enigma and its bounty of military intelligence, but also the fact of his homosexual identity.

Mark Wolverton

Jan 04, 2015 · Articles · 4 minute read

Rob Marshall's 'Into the Woods'

What happens when you get your heart's desire?

On Christmas Day, I saw a theater packed with children and wondered how many of their parents were blindsided. But it didn’t matter. Their children got to learn some truths about life.

Steve Cohen

Dec 30, 2014 · Articles · 3 minute read

'The Missing' and 'The Affair'

The child is gone

Only two serial programs in 2014 really made an impression on me: The Missing and The Affair. And unfortunately for my joie de vivre, both were about how the tragic loss of a child destroys the lives of his parents.

Paula Berman

Dec 30, 2014 · Articles · 5 minute read

Jennifer Kent’s ‘The Babadook’

Living with the shadows

The Babadook hits almost every image of the horror film genre, yet it somehow manages to emerge as a standout movie with a fresh take on what scares and strengthens us the most.

Alaina Johns

Dec 09, 2014 · Articles · 4 minute read

'Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer'

Rudolph and I are misfits

Rudolph is a timeless classic for a reason. For 50 years, his nose has lit up, signaling that he’s a misfit. I was, too, and he made that O.K.

Tara Lynn Johnson

Dec 02, 2014 · Articles · 3 minute read