FILMS from AFAR

This tearjerker picks up steam in its emotional second half, thanks to skilled acting and an absorbing storyline—as well as a few surprises (at least for those who haven't read the book). Field and Pullman are well-matched as flawed, grieving outcasts in Remarkably Bright Creatures, which also benefits from likeable supporting actors such as Colm Meaney, Kathy Baker, and Sofia Black-D'Elia. It's not hard to relate to the characters, who capture the loneliness of modern Americ

If you didn't already love Martin Short, you're going to after this loving profile, directed by longtime friend Lawrence Kasdan. Marty, Life is Short offers a close-up view of the actor's joy-infused and celebrity-filled life. Marty has loved and been loved by a big, happy family and a wide group of lifelong friends (the fact that those friends include figures like Eugene Levy, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielbergand so on doesn't diminish their genuine mutual affection). It's also a

Informative, humanizing, and at moments downright scary, this eye-opening documentary is sure to make waves. Interviewees in The Plastic Detox ask how it’s possible that industrial companies have been allowed to make such prevalent products without knowing or addressing the potential and proven harms. Viewers will want to know the same after this wake-up call, which explores the correlations between plastic chemical exposure and a huge range of illnesses, defects, and healt

This Paul McCartney-focused documentary is an informative and entertaining look at the period between the break-up of the Beatles and the death of John Lennon. Man on the Run starts in a frenzy, with an expected montage of footage, photos, and music amplified with quick-paced collages and animations edited together. It's all very Yellow Submarine, but in a subtle touch, the style gets progressively more mellow over the course of the movie. This ties in nicely with the film's

This article was originally published by The Alliance of Women Film Journalists Non-English-language feature films received a record number of nominations to the Oscars this year. The nominations show the Academy is "Becoming a Citizen of the World,” The Hollywood Reporter proclaimed on Jan. 22, citing the #OscarsSoWhite backlash from a decade ago that prompted the Academy to diversity its membership, including now a full 25% of voting members from abroad. But there’s another

In some ways, the title of this film is misleading—it sounds like we are looking at another Nat Geo nature documentary, but this is something very different. First of all, Elephant Ghosts seems more focused on the humans than the animals, which makes sense considering how elusive the elephants are. Legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog narrates the tale, reminding himself not to "romanticize" the native bushmen but still finding them endlessly fascinating—the cradle of humanity,