All Movies
鈥榃riting With Fire鈥�: Film captures resolve of female journalists in IndiaOscar-nominated documentary 鈥淲riting With Fire鈥� shows how a team of reporters overcomes caste and gender biases to bring light and justice to India.
Oscar is only a start: A world of best performances from the past yearAhead of the Oscars ceremony on Sunday, the Monitor鈥檚 film critic shares his choices for the performances that transported audiences in the past year.
In Pixar鈥檚 鈥楾urning Red,鈥� a panda and puberty steal the showThe latest Pixar film, 鈥淭urning Red,鈥� covers familiar ground in the exploration of identity, but also experiments with more directly addressing puberty.
First LookBest movies of 2021? British 'Oscars' offer a sneak preview.The聽British Academy Film Awards gave the best picture prize to the western 鈥淭he Power of the Dog." The sci-fi epic 鈥淒une鈥� won five awards.
Time travel + Ryan Reynolds = Fairly fun 鈥楾he Adam Project鈥�鈥淭he Adam Project鈥� draws on its sci-fi predecessors and the charm of its leading man to take viewers on a mostly entertaining ride.聽
鈥楾he Batman鈥�: Gritty storytelling propels latest Gotham caperBatman鈥檚 many incarnations range from campy caped crusader to dark knight. Does the latest, brooding version offer something new?聽
Oscar hopeful 鈥楲unana鈥�: A yak, a classroom, and a transformative journeyIn the Oscar-nominated international film 鈥淟unana,鈥� from Bhutan, a teacher鈥檚 unexpected assignment offers him life-changing vistas.
鈥楾he Automat鈥� is a valentine to pie and nickel coffeeThe documentary 鈥淭he Automat,鈥� about the Horn & Hardart chain, is an ode to a bygone restaurant and the community (and pie) it offered.
First LookOscar nominees for 2021 show staying power of streaming servicesNetflix鈥檚 鈥淭he Power of the Dog鈥� has the most Academy Award nominations with 12 nods, including best picture, best director, and recognition for all of its top actors. Director聽Jane Campion is the first woman to be nominated twice for best director.
Oscar contender 鈥楢 Hero鈥� explores the complexities of doing the right thingShould people be praised for simply doing the right thing? This year鈥檚 Oscar contender from Iran, 鈥淎 Hero,鈥� asks viewers to consider societal labels.
鈥楾he sky doesn鈥檛 collapse.鈥� A filmmaker explores gay life in Kenya.A documentary about a gay couple in Kenya explores universal themes of love and commitment in a repressive society.聽
Hollywood is taking steps to diversify behind the camera. How is it going?For the TV and film industries, one area of progress is an increase in initiatives that help underrepresented groups train and network.
From 鈥楰ing Richard鈥� to 鈥楪unda鈥�: The 10 best films of 2021Monitor film critic Peter Rainer鈥檚 list of 2021鈥檚 best movies includes those that graced both big and small screens 鈥� and features some up-and-comers.
鈥楴ational Champions鈥� asks: Should college athletes be paid?How far would you go to stand up for a principle? The film 鈥淣ational Champions,鈥� about whether to pay college athletes, weighs the trade-offs of taking a firm stance.
Spielberg鈥檚 鈥榃est Side Story鈥�: A remake that鈥檚 a rethink, tooDirector Steven Spielberg mostly succeeds in his update of 鈥淲est Side Story,鈥� giving it new energy and authenticity, says the Monitor鈥檚 film critic.聽
鈥楨ncanto鈥�: A tale of family and fitting in, set to musicAs the Monitor鈥檚 review notes, Disney鈥檚 cheery 鈥淓ncanto,鈥� about comparing oneself to others, seems tailored for today鈥檚 social media-minded teens.
Venus, Serena, and their father: 鈥楰ing Richard鈥� biopic is an aceA top-notch performance by Will Smith and an inspirational story combine for sheer pleasure in the biopic 鈥淜ing Richard,鈥� says the Monitor鈥檚 film critic.
A foodie delight, 鈥楯ulia鈥� shows how one chef influenced AmericaFew people on the planet were more interested in food than Julia Child, says the Monitor鈥檚 film critic. Judging from the documentary 鈥淛ulia,鈥� he adds, few people are as interesting.
What more is there to say about Princess Diana? 鈥楽pencer鈥� offers a fable.Kristen Stewart delivers a fierce performance in 鈥淪pencer,鈥澛燼 film that intends to impart a more profound view of Princess Diana than a biopic could.
鈥楴omadland鈥� director brings her vision to Marvel鈥檚 鈥楨ternals鈥�Chlo茅 Zhao pivots from her indie roots to make a big-budget Marvel film, 鈥淓ternals.鈥� Can she make these heroes soar?聽