Movies

'Close': sad ending of a childhood friendship

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Teacher's book lauds forgotten engineer Riblet

A cynical thought popped into my head as the closing credits began to roll for "Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre," a garden-variety comedy caper featuring an elite team of supersecret agents with a unique set of skills, all of which are applied to stopping a mysterious weapon from falling into the wrong hands: This feels designed - focus-grouped, even - to become a franchise.

If 2022 was a banner year for first-time features - and it was - "Palm Trees and Power Lines" was an early high point, with Jamie Dack taking a deserved directing prize at Sundance for an impressively assured debut.

Oscar nominee Hirsch brightens 'iMordecai'

What does it take for a movie to be a world champion? No dramatic haymaker. Just deliver what you promise, with style, taste and respect for your audience.

At 73, Springsteen shows no sign he's slowing

As the New Yorker's Michael Schulman writes in his new book, "Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears," the Academy Awards can be described as a "game," a "fashion show," a "horse race" and even "an orgy of self-congratulation by rich and famous people who think too highly of themselves." But, Schulman contends, the real key to understanding the awards comes down to power: "Who has it, who's straining to keep it, who's invading the golden citadel to snatch it."

What’s new for home viewing on Video on Demand and Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, and other streaming services.

Join Green and his pet detectives tonight

The beguiling Andie MacDowell, a leading lady in films like “Groundhog Day” and “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” has taken on more supporting roles in the past several years, from “Ready or Not” to “Magic Mike XXL,” to the Netflix series “Maid,” opposite her daughter, Margaret Qualley. While she’s always memorable, it’s nice to see her step into a leading role once again (and a nonromantic one at that) with “My Happy Ending,” a heartfelt drama directed by Tal Granit and Sharon Maymon.

It’s been fascinating to watch the rise, and evolution, of the faith-based movie over the years, and director Jon Erwin has been a part of that. He’s carved out a niche for himself, collaborating with his brother Andrew and focusing on true stories with a musical element, including “I Still Believe,” about Christian music star Jeremy Camp, and “I Can Only Imagine,” about the band MercyMe. The Erwin brothers also co-directed the documentary “The Jesus Music,” which has a direct tie to his latest narrative feature film, “Jesus Revolution,” which focuses on the same topic, the Jesus movement that took place in Southern California in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.

The Australian actress Frances O'Connor makes a striking directorial debut with "Emily," a provocative revisionist biography of the author Emily Brontë.