My Courses

“One Ranger” could have been made 40 years ago, and that’s a big part of whatever appeal it has.  Back in the day, probably in the late 1980s, this action thriller about a legendary Texas Ranger getting tangled up with international bad guys and government agents would have bombed in theaters but developed a cult following on VHS. It…

Cyril Schäublin’s “Unrest” is set in another time made for our time. With the present-day resurgence of interest in unions, collective action, and mutual aid, a look back at the then-emerging school of thought that put the well-being of workers and everyday people over the wills of factory owners and corrupt officials feels right on…

After her father dies, teenager Jaime (Anwen O’Driscoll) is sent to the scenic Canadian seaside, where she’s to live with her aunt (Liane Balaban) and uncle (Antoine Yared) in a tight-knit Jehovah’s Witness community. As a non-believer and a lesbian, Jaime feels isolated in more ways than one, even before her relatives pressure her into…

“Number 47 and Number 49. A continent between them.” Twice in “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” Kazim Kahn (Shazad Latif) tells his lifelong friend Zoe Stevenson (Lily James) that even though they grew up next door, sharing a treehouse—and a first kiss—the Muslim Pakistani-British and white British worlds are very far apart. That is…

Titles can promise a lot. Implicitly or explicitly. And it’s just a matter of one word or two that can make a difference. “Summer of ’42,” for example, doesn’t necessarily suggest a wistful coming-of-age drama, but it’s sufficiently neutral that you don’t feel cheated when you find out that’s exactly what it is. Call your…