Feb 26th, 2010 · In A Prophet, a young Corsican Arab must earn his place in the hierarchy of a French prison by murdering a fellow inmate. Director Jacques Audiard neither victimizes nor glorifies his protagonist, says critic David Edelstein. The result is a gripping, realistic prison drama. (Recommended)
Feb 25th, 2010 · Sentenced to six years in a French prison, 19-year-old Malik learns quickly that there's quick death around every corner. But under the eye of a veteran gangster who's both a mentor and a cruel boss, he learns to hold his own among the most dangerous of men. Jacques Audiard's powerfully emotional film is a contender for the foreign-language film Oscar. (Recommended)
Feb 25th, 2010 · The Oscar-nominated animated feature The Book of Kells harks back to an earlier style of drawing — not pre-digital animation, but illumination, the curlicued borders and ornate lettering that characterized the work of medieval holy books. Critic Bob Mondello says it's a strikingly beautiful exercise in deliberately retro technique. (Recommended)
Jan 21st, 2010 · A young Parisian's report of an anti-Semitic attack snarls her family and friends in a web of lies and public outrage. Critic Mark Jenkins says Andre Techine's film, based on an actual event, is a freewheeling, expansive take on the many ways people miscommunicate. (Recommended)
Jan 11th, 2010 · The "Queen of Hiphop Soul," Mary J. Blige, has released her ninth studio album, Stronger With Each Tear. While the full collection may not be what you'd expect from royalty, critic Ken Tucker says admirers will still find plenty of tracks that showcase Blige's power and craft.
Dec 10th, 2009 · Fashion designer Tom Ford makes a stylish debut with A Single Man, starring Colin Firth as a closeted gay man struggling with solitude after his longtime partner is killed in a car crash. Critic Bob Mondello says the film is a visually sensitive tale of a man learning at last to live in the moment. (Recommended)
Aug 27th, 2009 · Three generations of a Yokoyama family convene for a reunion of sorts in Hirokazu Koreeda's delicate comedy-drama. Set in the Japanese suburbs, the film is a gentle meditation on how families make peace among themselves, and how their wisdom is conserved and recycled through the generations. (Recommended)
Jun 26th, 2009 · Antonello Grimaldi's Quiet Chaos lacks thematic complexity, but the subtly directed sequences, bitter and sweet alike, add up to a moving chronicle of sorrow, wonder and acceptance. (Recommended)