Kristian Lin
Detective Chinatown: Colors of the West
Wonders never cease in this job. I found a movie that celebrates the best of America, and it’s a Chinese film. Detective Chinatown 1900...
Film Shorts // February 5-11, 2025
OPENING
Becoming Led Zeppelin (PG-13) Bernard MacMahon’s documentary profiles the band members about the British band’s rise to stardom. Starring Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John...
Seed of the Sacred Fig: A Movie in Secret
Mohammad Rasoulof is now an exile because he made The Seed of the Sacred Fig. The Iranian director was the talk of the Cannes...
Film Shorts // January 29 – February 4, 2025
OPENING
Companion (R) Drew Hancock’s thriller is about a recently deceased billionaire’s friends whose gathering is interrupted when one of the guests (Sophie Thatcher) turns...
The Best Lead Performances of 2024
I’m afraid I owe this column to the L.A. wildfires, which put off the announcement of the Oscar nominations and gave me some extra...
Spoon vs. Spoon
Trust the Koreans to rethink the format of TV cooking competitions. We’ve had enough of the one where umpteen contestants are at their work...
Hard Truths: Diary of a Mad Black Woman
In Hard Truths, Pansy Deacon (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) is checking out of a supermarket in suburban London when she suddenly attacks the cashier (Ashna Rabheru):...
Film Shorts // January 22-28, 2025
OPENING
Boonie Bears: Time Twist (PG) This Chinese animated film is about a logger (voiced by Paul “Maxx” Rinehart) who must travel through time and...
Grand Theft Hamlet: Player Kings
I just ran my list of the best documentary films of last year, and while Grand Theft Hamlet arrives too late to merit consideration...
Brutalist: Big Blocks
Of all the Oscar contenders in play this awards season, The Brutalist is unquestionably the longest. We’re talking three hours and 35 minutes, which...
