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Battle for Border Supremacy Doesn’t Lose Its Relevance in the Desierto
This glimpse at Mexicans crossing the border illegally and Americans who don’t want them here is taut and provocative, with an immersive visual style.
Arts & Entertainment
Is The Birth of a Nation Worth the Controversy Over Its Director’s Past?
The film strikes a direct blow against a famously racist film, but is it any good itself?
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True-Life Thrills Keep Slick Deepwater Horizon Afloat
This embellished cinematic account of the Gulf disaster is stylish and evocative, telling the story with a conventional structure but with a palpable sense of urgency.
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Fresh Approach Keeps Pete’s Dragon From Blowing Smoke
This charming remake shows that filmmaker David Lowery isn’t compromising his independent sensibilities while transitioning to big-budget studio films.
Arts & Entertainment
A Breezy Love Triangle Is on the Menu in Allen’s Cafe Society
Its playful send-up of stuffy aristocracy and high society shows the bittersweet period romance can be fun when you don’t take it too seriously.
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As You Might Expect, The Secret Life of Pets is Cute and Cuddly
While you don’t need to be a “pet parent” to appreciate this modestly clever and charming animated adventure, it certainly doesn’t hurt.
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Le Carre Serves Up More Spy Slickness in Our Kind of Traitor
Just because the Cold War is over doesn't mean Russian mobsters are done laundering money and trading weapons, or that morally conflicted spies and corrupt bureaucrats are out of the picture.
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Hanks Takes Care of Business in A Hologram for the King
This heavily symbolic adaptation of a Dave Eggers book about an American technology consultant enduring a mid-life crisis while trying to sell his services in Saudi Arabia is modest in its plotting but wise in its message.
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Cheadle Effectively Toots His Own Horn in Miles Ahead
The prolific actor mostly succeeds with his ambitious directorial debut that winds up a little rough around the edges, sort of like Miles Davis himself.
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Owens Biopic Race Is a Little Slow Out of the Starting Blocks
This slick crowd-pleaser should at least share the basics about the gold-medal sprinter from the 1936 Olympics with a new generation that’s only read about his inspirational accomplishments in history books.