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鈥楢merican Fiction鈥� asks: What, in our society, should a Black writer be?Full of serious-minded humor, 鈥淎merican Fiction鈥� uses satire to poke at both race and publishing in America. Will the film change the discourse on either one?
鈥楪odzilla Minus One鈥�: How a 70-year-old monster stays evergreenSetting a new record for Japanese live-action films, 鈥淕odzilla Minus One鈥� has become the highest-grossing foreign language film of 2023, with a global take of $52 million after two weeks.
Bring your appetite: Wiseman鈥檚 latest film is a feast for the eyesIn Frederick Wiseman鈥檚 latest documentary, he trains his lens on a family-run French restaurant. Besides being a delight for foodies, says the Monitor鈥檚 film critic, it鈥檚 also a moving commentary on life.聽
They can鈥檛 all be Scrooge: How holiday films shineAs two Christmas classics turn 20, we鈥檙e reminded of the genre鈥檚 true gifts. More than making you laugh or cry, good holiday films often reinforce that life has meaning.
At the 100-year mark, Disney offers nostalgia, hope, and 鈥榃ish鈥�Disney鈥檚 latest animated offering leans heavily on references to a century鈥檚 worth of prior films. Our columnist suggests that the retelling of familiar narratives helps people 鈥� motivating them to work together for common goals.
What鈥檚 the best way to capture Leonard Bernstein?Dramatizing the life of a great artist can be fraught. The biopic 鈥淢aestro鈥� focuses on conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein鈥檚 personal life. But what of his art?
Battered Marvel finds an unexpected champion in 鈥楲oki鈥�Superhero films are not pulling people in the way they once did. But one Marvel TV offering 鈥� about an anti-hero who forms bonds that transform him 鈥� illustrates the importance of relationship-building, our columnist writes.聽
鈥楾he Holdovers鈥� offers a prep school Scrooge a shot at redemptionWhat makes people change? In 鈥淭he Holdovers,鈥� a teacher of ancient history faces his own past to find a way forward.聽
Escaping North Korea: 鈥楤eyond Utopia鈥� documents one path to freedomMost Westerners know little about North Korea or what it鈥檚 like to live in 鈥� or leave 鈥� the rigid country. 鈥淏eyond Utopia鈥� shows the lengths defectors are willing to go to experience freedom.聽聽
First LookMaster 'Flower Moon' filmmaker Scorsese says he鈥檚 still learning鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon,鈥� which opens Friday in theaters, is the latest feature of Martin Scorsese鈥檚 ambitious filmmaking. His passion for cinema as an art form is stronger than ever. 鈥淏ecause there is no limit. The limit is in yourself,鈥� he says.
鈥楩lower Moon鈥�: A true tale of oil, Native rights, and murderMartin Scorsese鈥檚 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon鈥� is聽an anti-Western Western with a grievous, true-crime story to tell.
Scenes from a marriage 鈥� at a breaking pointRiveting courtroom dramas offer more than legal machinations, argues Monitor film critic Peter Rainer. What makes 鈥淎natomy of a Fall鈥� a standout, he says, is its acting and insights into human nature.聽
Why AI stories are more about humans than about machinesRepresentations of artificial intelligence in popular culture help push society to think more about technology鈥檚 role 鈥� and which human values it reflects.聽
Toronto film fest: Big-screen gems, absent movie starsMonitor movie critic聽Peter Rainer navigates the Toronto film festival 鈥� and an industry still dealing with dual strikes 鈥� and is rewarded with a top-notch cinematic passport.
In 鈥楤etween Two Worlds,鈥� Juliette Binoche makes the invisible visibleThe undercover journalist in the film 鈥淏etween Two Worlds,鈥� loosely based on a true story, finds the hardship she expects from jobs with minimum pay. But she also discovers something else: friendship and joy.聽聽
First Look鈥楤arbie鈥� box office bash: Gerwig鈥檚 opening weekend shatters records鈥淏arbie鈥� broke the opening weekend record for 2023 and shattered the first-weekend record for a film directed by a woman. Box office sales surpassed director Greta Gerwig鈥檚 domestic grosses for her previous two films, 鈥淟ittle Women鈥� and 鈥淟ady Bird.鈥�
鈥極ppenheimer鈥�: An ambitious 鈥� and epic 鈥撀燾autionary tale鈥淥ppenheimer鈥� ignites questions and controversies about the morality of warfare and the limits of power.
Pretty in pink: In tonally uneven 鈥楤arbie,鈥� Robbie shines鈥淏arbie鈥� is both a flippy romp and a feminist outcry in shades of pastel pink.
AI, residuals, and lack of trust. Can Hollywood find a happy ending?What led to the first double strike of actors and writers in more than 60 years? Both sides point to a business model under severe strain even before the pandemic and a breakdown in trust.
First LookHollywood actors vote to join writers in strike after talks stallAfter discussions stalled between union leadership and the industry's major employers, the actors guild voted on Thursday to go on strike. The actors join Hollywood's writers, who have been on strike for two months, in the first joint strike in six decades.