A still from the documentary "The Lady Bird Diaries." (Courtesy ABC News)

13 Greater Boston film festivals to check out this spring

For Boston area film lovers, there is no shortage of cinematic delights throughout the entire season. Film critic Erin Trahan rounds up the festivals to explore in the coming months.

James Baldwin's overseas experiences are on display at Coolidge Corner Theatre

Three short documentaries show during "James Baldwin Abroad," a retrospective of the author's life in exile. Film critic Sean Burns says each film shows sides of Baldwin that are eloquent,...

Boston Underground Film Festival celebrates the weird and the wonderful

From a modern remake of "Frankenstein" to a documentary about audio collage artists, the festival highlights all things erotic, irreverent and strange.

'Boston Strangler' remake is a comically calculated appeal to true crime fans

Film critic Sean Burns watched Richard Fleischer's 1968 "Boston Strangler" and Matt Ruskin's 2023 take on the crime as a double feature. According to Burns, the 1968 film will probably...

Sports comedy 'Champions' follows formula to the letter, but it’s an absolute delight

In Bobby Farrelly's solo directorial debut, Woody Harrelson plays an ex-NBA coach who gets a DUI and is sentenced to community service coaching a basketball team of adults with intellectual...

Coolidge Corner Theatre celebrates an iconic arthouse director in its upcoming series 'Claire Denis: Cinéma Courageux'

The Coolidge Corner Theatre’s “Claire Denis: Cinéma Courageux” spends three weeks in March showcasing six of the filmmaker’s 15 narrative features.

Michael B. Jordan makes his directorial debut with 'Creed III'

The actor digs into the latest installment in the "Rocky" franchise with some big, brash visual ideas that aren’t always supported by his camera department.

'The Quiet Girl' is a deceptively simple story about unexpected kindness

Adapted by writer-director Colm Bairéad from Claire Keegan’s 2010 novella “Foster,” the movie reduced film critic Sean Burns to a whimpering puddle.

Emily Brontë biopic takes many thrillingly salacious liberties

Frances O’Connor’s directorial debut, "Emily," is an atmospheric and irreverent biopic about a woman about whom very little is known, film critic Sean Burns reviews.

Six shows and movies to view this Black History Month

These films and shows, available to stream now, "offer complex Black histories and futures by Black talent working to widen access to Black stories and art," writes Kyéra Sterling.

Liam Neeson plays Raymond Chandler’s lonely detective, Philip Marlowe, in his 100th film role

William Monahan, who won an Oscar for "The Departed," penned the script for director Neil Jordan’s noir pastiche, "Marlowe."

My dinner with Columbo, the character who shaped 'Poker Face' and 'Amsterdam'

"I have long had a professional and personal interest in Falk. When people cite dramatic series that transformed television...To me, it was 'Columbo' in the ‘70s that was the first...

'One Fine Morning' is a film about mourning and rebirth

Writer-director Mia Hansen-Løve's latest film, “One Fine Morning,” spends a year with Sandra while she and her family endure the expensive grind of securing contemporary eldercare for her ailing father.

Arts & Culture

Feb 9, 2023

Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in "Casablanca." (Courtesy Warner Bros.)

Unsolicited advice about what you should go see on Valentine's Day

Film critic Sean Burns has your guide to local film screenings on the most romantic -- and dreadful -- day of the year.

Arts & Culture

Feb 8, 2023

Joyce Chopra editing with her young child on her lap. (Courtesy Harvard Film Archive)

Harvard Film Archive celebrates filmmaker Joyce Chopra with mini-retrospective

The director, who co-founded what is now Cambridge's Club Passim over 60 years ago, returns to Harvard Square this weekend for a screening of her seminal 1972 documentary short “Joyce...

Arts & Culture

Feb 1, 2023

Delphine Seyrig in “Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles.” (Courtesy Janus Films)

The greatest film of all time is coming to Coolidge Corner Theatre. You might not like it very much

Chantal Akerman’s 1975 masterpiece “Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles” unexpectedly topped the British Film Institute’s 2022 Sight and Sound 100 Greatest Films of All Time List. It's...

Arts & Culture

Jan 26, 2023

People wait outside of a theater during a previous Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy Jemal Countess)

Film festival programmer Heidi Zwicker on what to watch at Sundance this year

The North Shore native talks about her Massachusetts roots, her road to Sundance and what films to watch at the festival, many of which are available to watch online starting...

Arts & Culture

Jan 18, 2023

Last year's Boston Baltic Film Festival commenced days after Russia invaded Ukraine. (Courtesy Boston Baltic Film Festival)

7 Greater Boston film festivals to check out this winter

Film festivals are back in-person, and most are keeping a strong online presence as well. Here's what Erin Trahan recommends checking out this winter.

Arts & Culture

Jan 12, 2023

Still from "Skinamarink." (Courtesy Shudder)

Indie horror sensation 'Skinamarink' is an immersive, terrifying experience

Ever since the film leaked late last year, pirated copies of this microbudget effort have been passed around as the latest viral phenomenon, arriving in inboxes with warnings that you’re...

Arts & Culture

Jan 12, 2023

Hirokazu Kore-eda's 'Broker' is a gentle film arising from an appalling premise

Stealing a baby to sell for personal profit is about as low as you can possibly go, but what if the child were unwanted and unlikely to be missed? Film...

Arts & Culture

Jan 5, 2023

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13 Greater Boston film festivals to check out this spring

James Baldwin's overseas experiences are on display at Coolidge Corner Theatre

Boston Underground Film Festival celebrates the weird and the wonderful

'Boston Strangler' remake is a comically calculated appeal to true crime fans

Sports comedy 'Champions' follows formula to the letter, but it’s an absolute delight

Coolidge Corner Theatre celebrates an iconic arthouse director in its upcoming series 'Claire Denis: Cinéma Courageux'

Michael B. Jordan makes his directorial debut with 'Creed III'

'The Quiet Girl' is a deceptively simple story about unexpected kindness

Emily Brontë biopic takes many thrillingly salacious liberties

Six shows and movies to view this Black History Month

Liam Neeson plays Raymond Chandler’s lonely detective, Philip Marlowe, in his 100th film role

My dinner with Columbo, the character who shaped 'Poker Face' and 'Amsterdam'

'One Fine Morning' is a film about mourning and rebirth

Unsolicited advice about what you should go see on Valentine's Day

Harvard Film Archive celebrates filmmaker Joyce Chopra with mini-retrospective

The greatest film of all time is coming to Coolidge Corner Theatre. You might not like it very much

Film festival programmer Heidi Zwicker on what to watch at Sundance this year

7 Greater Boston film festivals to check out this winter

Indie horror sensation 'Skinamarink' is an immersive, terrifying experience

Hirokazu Kore-eda's 'Broker' is a gentle film arising from an appalling premise