“American Doctor” Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story

18 Sep
AMERICAN DOCTOR

Poh Si Teng’s American Doctor is a film that’s designed to make viewers angry. Specifically, to make them angry at Israel. 

Of course, it’s not unusual for a documentary to take a side and have a point of view. Usually, a clear perspective is a distinguishing factor for a documentary. And it’s not unusual for filmmakers to use selective editing to make their case.

But in the case of this documentary, the point of view borders on propaganda. (Not unlike NAZA, the controversial film that garnered a lot of attention at the recent Venice Film Festival, but we’ll get to that one a bit later.)

American Doctor follows three American physicians — one Palestinian, one Jewish, and one Zoroastrian — who treated patients in Gaza during Israel’s military campaign that was in response to Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. But you wouldn’t know that cause-and-effect from watching the film. Through the experiences of Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, Dr. Mark Perlmutter, and Dr. Thaer Ahmad, the film shows viewers the destruction of Gaza’s medical infrastructure and argues that Israel and the United States bear responsibility for the humanitarian catastrophe that took place over the last three years.

So, yes, it presents the consequences of the Israel-Gaza war, which are real and undeniable. But it gives insufficient attention to the circumstances that led to the war in the first place or the responsibility that Hamas has for so much pain and suffering. That lack of important context means the film is, fundamentally, a prosecution of Israel — and its biggest weakness is the part of the story it leaves out.

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It’s Complicated

6 Sep
Dakota Fanning and Jake Johnson star in THE SUN NEVER SETS

To cut to the chase: I liked The Sun Never Sets. I didn’t love it, and I’m not sure I’ll be thinking about it much a week from now. But for most of its running time, I was perfectly happy watching it.

That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, I know. But sometimes “likable enough” has to be a perfectly legitimate review.

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“Coyote vs. Acme”: The Movie Warner Bros. Didn’t Want You to See

28 Aug
Will Forte stars in COYOTE VS ACME

Nobody was ever supposed to see Coyote vs. Acme.

Warner Bros. finished making the movie in 2023, but in November of that year, CEO David Zaslav said he would never release it (despite a reported cost of $70 million), instead deciding to put it on the shelf as a tax write-off of about $30 million.

The filmmakers and cast were understandably furious, and the decision sparked an enormous public backlash. 

Surprisingly, the suits at WB eventually allowed director Dave Green to shop his film around, and after years of uncertainty, independent distributor Ketchup Entertainment rescued the movie and has now brought it to theaters.

Thankfully, it was all worth it.

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Jurassic Street?

12 Aug
Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway star in THE END OF OAK STREET

One of my favorite things about the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movies is what happens when the dinosaurs get off Isla Nublar, or whatever island or nature preserve they’re living on, and onto the mainland.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park gave us the T. rex stomping through San Diego, turning the city into prehistoric chaos. Jurassic World Dominion sent raptors and other assorted dinosaurs into Malta, where the streets became the setting of a giant chase sequence with creatures that really, really wanted to eat Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard — or anyone else they could find.

Those sequences work because there’s something inherently cool about watching dinosaurs in the real world. Put a velociraptor in a jungle or a contained environment and, sure, that’s scary. Put one in someone’s backyard and suddenly all hell breaks loose in a more relatable way.

David Robert Mitchell’s new sci-fi thriller The End of Oak Street takes that idea and runs with it — or, more accurately, shuffles along behind it.

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It’s Technically Child Labor, but We Signed Up for It

10 Aug
COOKIE QUEENS

There are few things more quintessentially American than Girl Scout Cookies.

Every winter, like clockwork, troops of girls appear outside supermarkets, in shopping malls, and on front porches, selling Thin Mints, Samoas, Trefoils, and Do-si-dos. For the girls, it’s not just about cookies; it’s a chance to learn a little something about business, perseverance, and themselves.

Cookie Queens, the charming new documentary directed by Alysa Nahmias, takes that annual ritual and turns it into a surprisingly engaging story. The film follows four determined young Girl Scouts as they set their cookie-selling goals and discover that reaching them can be about much more than simply moving boxes.

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Can You Feel the Love Tonight?

5 Aug
Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner star in ONE NIGHT ONLY

The new film One Night Only asks its audience to have a willing sense of disbelief, and there is perhaps nothing in it that’s more far-fetched than this: It wants us to believe that Callum Turner (Eternity) and Monica Barbaro (Top Gun: Maverick) can’t find anyone to sleep with — and on the horniest night of the year, yet. 

If those two are striking out, then what hope is there for the rest of us?

The film imagines an alternate version of America where the right-wing government has outlawed premarital sex. Except, that is, for one 12-hour window — a glorious, state-sanctioned night every year when the country’s singles can finally let loose. Picture The Purge, but instead of everyone running around with assault rifles and other weapons looking to commit no-consequence crimes, they’re desperately hunting for condoms so they can get laid. It’s a ridiculous premise, and thankfully, the movie knows it. 

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Well Done

4 Aug
Antonio Banderas and Dominic Sessa star in TONY

If you’ve ever wondered what Anthony Bourdain was like before he became, well, Anthony Bourdain, then Tony is the movie for you. 

Long before CNN and his globe-trotting culinary fame, Bourdain was simply Tony, “a spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, self-destructive, and thoughtless young lout” who was “badly in need of a good ass-kicking.” Don’t take my word for it; that’s literally how Bourdain describes himself in his 2000 book Kitchen Confidential. 

In other words, this new film co-written and directed by Matt Johnson (BlackBerry) could almost be called “Portrait of the Chef as a Young Prick,” if A24 really wanted to take a risk.

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Friendly Neighborhood Comeback

28 Jul
Tom Holland stars in SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY

Damage Control isn’t just the site of much of the action in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it’s an all-too-obvious metaphor for a movie with a lot riding on its shoulders, coming after so many disappointing comic-book films — in the DC and Marvel cinematic universes — and an over-reliance on the multiverse and fan-pandering novelty.

The good news is that this hero is up to the task.

Brand New Day gets things back on track, delivering an emotionally rich and action-packed spectacle that’s bigger than previous outings and hugely satisfying, even if it feels a tad overstuffed. 

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Christopher Nolan’s Movies, Ranked: How “The Odyssey” and Other Films Compare

18 Jul
Christopher Nolan movies

Christopher Nolan has spent the last quarter-century doing something very few filmmakers can do: Making audiences think while simultaneously blowing their minds.

His movies have recurring themes — time, memory, identity, obsession, sacrifice, and moral ambiguity — and they’re populated with people who could really benefit from a good therapist. 

Nolan loves practical effects, giant IMAX screens, nonlinear storytelling, and asking viewers to do a little homework after the credits roll. 

He also loves working with the same people again and again. Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Robert Pattinson, Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, and Morgan Freeman are just some of the actors who have appeared in multiple Nolan films.

Most importantly, Nolan never thinks small. Whether he’s exploring dreams, Gotham City, World War II, outer space, or ancient Greece, his films feel like events. Because they are.

I’ve seen 12 of Nolan’s 13 films, every single one of them on the big screen at least once, and I consider him to be one of my favorite filmmakers. So, with The Odyssey now in theaters, I thought it was a good time for a ranking of those movies. 

Sure, ranking Nolan’s movies is both fun and slightly misleading. Even his less satisfying work is still more ambitious and more impressive than many other directors’ best films.

In short, Nolan is a writer/director who doesn’t settle for “good enough.”

With all that in mind, here are my picks, from worst (a word I’m using in relative terms) to best.

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Ithaca’s King Is Coming Back

15 Jul
Matt Damon stars in Christopher Nolan's THE ODYSSEY

UPDATE July 26, 2026: I have now seen The Odyssey twice, the second time in IMAX 70mm (the way God intended), and that second screening made a significant difference in what I think about the film.

Wow! to everything — particularly the cinematography, the score by Ludwig Göransson, and the storytelling. Watching the film a second time, without my sky-high expectations and anticipation, I was able to simply watch the movie and appreciate its commentary about the costs and sacrifices of war on a deeper level. That said, the scene late in the movie showing the attack on and destruction of Troy resonated with me yet again. Given the events of the last three years, I’m still thinking about whether Odysseus is a hero to be respected or a leader of bad men who has a conscience about what he unleashed. That line about turning “a fight into a hunt” says it all. He’s complicated, that’s for sure.

The IMAX 70mm presentation allowed me to be fully immersed in the action, to see how amazing the cinematography really is, and to enjoy scenes like the confrontation with the Laestrygonians even more. Those scenes on the high seas with the waves crashing and the ship rocking, and the volume turned way up so you can be overwhelmed by the sound … It’s all breathtaking. In short, if you have the chance to see this movie in IMAX 70mm, you shouldn’t miss it. Even regular IMAX is preferable. Yes, even if you’ve already seen it once before.

After seeing The Odyssey a second time, the way it was intended to be seen, I’m raising my grade to an A–. It’s still not a perfect movie, but it’s really great, and I look forward to seeing it again — but only in similarly ideal conditions.

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