Archives

November 2020

November 08, 2020
This is the first film I’ve seen by director Rodrigo Sorogoyen or with lead actor...
November 01, 2020
New to Netflix, this British film goes beyond cliché in its melding of horror tale...

October 2020

October 26, 2020
Werner Herzog and co-director Clive Oppenheimer wrap up my first (and hopefully, last) stay-at-home film...
October 25, 2020
The world of nonverbal youth with autism is communicated wonderfully through this multisensory, immersive documentary
October 24, 2020
A nearly spoiler-free review, for maximal happy times.
October 18, 2020
The unholy matrimony between right-wing Israelis and American evangelicals is fairly but disturbingly examined in...
October 17, 2020
A young girl’s gender dysphoria and her family’s battle against transphobia are movingly explored in...
October 16, 2020
Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke come together to argue social responsibility...
October 15, 2020
This up-close portrait of teenaged climate activist Greta Thunberg only makes her (and her family)...
October 14, 2020
Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney, with co-directors Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger, couldn’t have released this...
October 10, 2020
David Byrne’s Broadway concert, as lensed by Spike Lee, is a masterpiece.
October 04, 2020
In this poignant, strange documentary, Kirsten Johnson chronicles her father’s dementia – and their struggles...
October 03, 2020
This transporting film from the Ivory Coast is one of the year’s best.

September 2020

September 27, 2020
Newly declassified documents serve as springboard for a biography of King and a deep look...
September 26, 2020
A primer on making your own stay-at-home fest, plus two reviews from my version.
September 13, 2020
Charlie Kaufman’s latest film is a slog.
September 12, 2020
The pressures on girls to grow up too fast are thoughtfully explored in this excellent...
September 07, 2020
Despite its commendable attempt to rupture the chain of suicide contagion, this is still a...
September 06, 2020
This fascinating and playful documentary follows a cartoonist’s battle to reclaim his creation from incels...

August 2020

August 30, 2020
In this portrait of British travel writer and novelist Bruce Chatwin, Herzog reveals more of...
August 29, 2020
A plea, and a lament over theaters, studios, artists, and film critics acting irresponsibly in...
August 23, 2020
It’s probably too late to de-convert the true believers, but this solid documentary may catalyze...
August 22, 2020
This pair of solid films from seasoned documentarians will take you through a failed century.
August 16, 2020
The themes in this up-to-the-minute documentary on Duterte and his press opposition feel painfully familiar...
August 09, 2020
It’s worth taking notice when a legendary artist says this is one of his essential...
August 08, 2020
What better year than the ACLU’s centennial to follow five of their lawyers’ battles against...
August 02, 2020
Jan Komasa’s Corpus Christi is one of my 2020 faves; his follow-up is less accomplished.
August 01, 2020
This high school dramedy will ring true for viewers from conservative Christian backgrounds.

July 2020

July 26, 2020
Splendid music and gorgeous street art can’t compensate for bland characters and dialogue.
July 25, 2020
This documentary/fiction hybrid, already quite good, is a better film for its release during lockdown.
Related posts from Secular Cinephile
Nonreligious
“The Card Counter” Continues Paul Schrader’s Exposé of...
Secular Cinephile
Nonreligious
“Language Lessons”: Connecting in Disconnected Times
Secular Cinephile
Nonreligious
“The Big Scary S Word”: Socialism as the...
Secular Cinephile
Nonreligious
“No Man of God”: An Audacious Take on...
Secular Cinephile
POPULAR CONTENT