“Universal Language” is the second feature film from experimental Candian director Mathew Rankin. Rankin’s previous film, “The Twentieth Century” (2019), holds a special place in my heart and is often my go-to litmus test for people’s tolerance of weirdness. It is not that “The Twentieth Century” is only weird; it just happens to be expressive,…

“I’m Still Here” (“Ainda Estou Aqui” in the original Portuguese) surprised some by being included in the Academy Awards nominations for Best Motion Picture, but perhaps no one who had seen it. This Brazilian film is set primarily in that country’s authoritarian military regime, expressly, what is considered just about the height of that regime’s…

I suspect that when Ali Abbasi pitched “The Apprentice,” Donald Trump’s fate was still in the air. Whether the makers of this film and its distributors knew that the Donald would come shrieking back to prominence and dominance, but as the film became available (first in theaters and later in streaming) was undoubtedly a factor…

“Babygirl” is Halina Reijn’s latest exploration of the limits of social boundaries. We may have gotten lots of gore in “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” but here we are getting a good view of bodies of a different sort and the answer to the age-old question, “How much sexual tension can there be in an internship orientation?”…

“Wolfman” is the second entry in the effort to bring the classic Universal monster franchise into the modern age. While both so far have been directed by Leigh Whanell, 2020’s “Invisible Man” wowed us with plot twists and complicated characters. Despite the illumination of a full moon, those elements are noticeably absent in this film….