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Published by Film at Lincoln Center

Michael Sragow

Deep Focus: Roman J. Israel, Esq.

By Michael Sragow
November 10, 2017
Thread of human dignity: Denzel Washington and Colin Farrell shine in a tale that explores the limits of idealism

Short Take: Thor: Ragnarok

By Michael Sragow
November 3, 2017
(Taika Waititi, USA, Walt Disney, Opening November 3)

Deep Focus: 1945

By Michael Sragow
November 2, 2017
Open secret: Ferenc Török’s austere and suspenseful film depicts the uneasy return of Jews to a small Hungarian village

Deep Focus: The Killing of a Sacred Deer

By Michael Sragow
October 19, 2017
Cruel and unusual: Yorgos Lanthimos’s modern myth attempts to pillory middle-class values but rings hollow

Deep Focus: Breathe

By Michael Sragow
October 12, 2017
Everyday courage: Andy Serkis’s exuberant directorial debut brings a true tale of resilience to the screen

Deep Focus: Una

By Michael Sragow
October 5, 2017
Mea culpa: Ben Mendelsohn and Rooney Mara carry a jumbled portrayal of an abuser and his now-adult victim

Deep Focus: The Old Dark House

By Michael Sragow
September 28, 2017
Get the guests: urban sophisticates battle the uncanny (and oddball hosts) in James Whale’s complete and utter hoot of a film, newly restored

Deep Focus: Lucky

By Michael Sragow
September 21, 2017
Being and nothingness: Harry Dean Stanton’s final performance is a warm spiritual quest that reflects his strengths

Deep Focus: mother!

By Michael Sragow
September 14, 2017
Open house: Darren Aronofsky’s attempts at a mystical thriller flounder

Deep Focus: The Limehouse Golem

By Michael Sragow
September 7, 2017
Killer on the road: Olivia Cooke is the standout in this pre-Jack the Ripper East End murder mystery

Deep Focus: In This Corner of the World

By Michael Sragow
August 10, 2017
Keep calm and carry on: a wartime tale of perseverance is moving but never overwrought

Deep Focus: Wind River

By Michael Sragow
August 3, 2017
Adrift: actor-turned-screenwriter Taylor Sheridan tries his hand at directing again, with mixed results

Deep Focus: Detroit

By Michael Sragow
July 28, 2017
Riot act: Kathryn Bigelow’s dramatization of the city’s 1967 riots offers a complex if imperfect commentary on race and authority in America

Deep Focus: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

By Michael Sragow
July 20, 2017
Sad spectacle: Luc Besson’s latest is a gargantuan comic-book misfire

Deep Focus: Spider-Man: Homecoming

By Michael Sragow
July 6, 2017
Sweet arachnid of youth: the teen superhero’s back and more career-minded than ever

Short Take: War for the Planet of the Apes

By Michael Sragow
July 3, 2017
(Matt Reeves, USA, 20th Century Fox, July 14)

Deep Focus: Maudie and Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe

By Michael Sragow
June 29, 2017
Lives of the artists: two nuanced, female-directed biopics speak to the transformative power of art

Deep Focus: Baby Driver

By Michael Sragow
June 22, 2017
High-octane: Edgar Wright’s exuberant riff on getaway movies nearly runs itself into the ground

Deep Focus: It Comes At Night

By Michael Sragow
June 8, 2017
In walks company: the scariest part of Trey Edward Shults’s second feature is the arty bluster

Deep Focus: Wonder Woman

By Michael Sragow
June 1, 2017
Unstoppable: the Amazon heroine offers a timely and poignant message in Patty Jenkins’s film