Vox Lux VOX LUX (2018) Starring Natalie Portman, Raffey Cassidy, Jude Law, Christopher Abbott, Jennifer Ehle, Stacy Martin, Natasha Romanova, Maria Dizzia, Erik King, Maria Severny, Daniel London, Matt Servitto, Christopher Dylan White, Sophie Lane Curtis, Candace Smith, Micheal Richardson, Allison Winn, Fred Hechinger, Leslie Silva, Meg Gibson and the voice of Willem Dafoe. Screenplay by Brady Corbet. Directed by Brady Corbet. Distributed by Neon. 110 minutes. Not Rated. Thi

Shoplifters SHOPLIFTERS (2018) Starring Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Jyo Kairi, Miyu Sasaki, Kiki Kirin, Mayu Matsuoka, Kengo Kora, Chizuru Ikewake, Sôsuke Ikematsu, Yôko Moriguchi, Yuki Yamada, Akira Emoto, Naoto Ogata and Moemi Katayama. Screenplay by Hirokazu Koreeda. Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda. \Distributed by Magnolia Pictures. 121 minutes. Rated R. S hoplifters has been getting such accolades – including winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes – that I went into the screening r

Joel Edgerton at the screening of “Boy Erased” at the Philadelphia Film Festival. Joel Edgerton Rewriting Boy Erased By Jay S. Jacobs This seems to be a fertile time for actors to take a more hands-on approach to filmmaking and write and direct their own films. Take Joel Edgerton. The Australian-born actor has been slowly-but-surely building a big name in the States with roles in such films as Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Warrior, Zero Dark Thirty, The Great

Jason Reitman at the Philadelphia Film Festival Screening of “The Front Runner.” Jason Reitman Looks Back at a Political Shift with The Front Runner By Jay S. Jacobs Director Jason Reitman is known for taking on some pretty big subjects in his films. He took on lobbying in Thank You for Smoking. He set his sights on teenage pregnancy in Juno and corporate soullessness and greed in Up in the Air. He also looked at alcoholism and personal grievances in Young Adult and modern di

Bodied BODIED (2017) Starring Calum Worthy, Jackie Long, Rory Uphold, Jonathan “Dumbfoundead” Park, Shoniqua Shandai, Walter Perez, Charlamagne tha God, Dizaster, Anthony Michael Hall, Debra Wilson, Lisa Maley, Eddie Perino, Eric Allen Smith, Candice Renée, Daniel Rashid, Vivian Lamolli, Matt Alpert, Sloane Avery and Faithe Herman. Screenplay by Alex Larsen. Directed by Joseph Kahn. Distributed by Neon. 121 minutes. Rated R. Screened at the 2018 Philadelphia Film Festival. I

Paul Dano at the Philadelphia Film Festival Screening of “Wildlife.” Paul Dano It’s A Wild Wildlife By Jay S. Jacobs We know Paul Dano as an actor with over a decade of quirky movie choices behind him. Perhaps you remember him best as the twin preachers in There Will Be Blood. Or perhaps as the young Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy. Or, then again it could be as the dysfunctional older brother in Little Miss Sunshine. Or as the frightened future gangster in Looper. Or the mental

Anchor and Hope ANCHOR AND HOPE (2017) Starring Oona Chaplin, Natalia Tena, David Verdaguer, Geraldine Chaplin, Trevor White, Charlotte Atkinson, Lara Rossi, Philip Arditti, Meghan Treadway, Rogers Leona, Faith Edwards, Laraine Dix, Taya De La Cruz, Becky Bullman, Peyton Jowers and Kimberly J. Forbes. Screenplay by Carlos Marques-Marcet and Jules Nurrish. Directed by Carlos Marques-Marcet. Distributed by Wolfe Releasing. 113 minutes. Not Rated. Screened at the 2018 Philadelph

Prospect PROSPECT (2018) Starring Sophie Thatcher, Jay Duplass, Pedro Pascal, Andre Royo, Sheila Vand, Anwan Glover, Luke Pitzrick, Arthur Deranleau, Alex McCauley, Doug Dawson, Krista Johnson, Brian Guntner, Trick Danneker, Christopher Morson, Ben Little and Shepheard Earl. Screenplay by Zeek Earl & Christopher Caldwell. Directed by Zeek Earl & Christopher Caldwell. Distributed by Dust/Gunpowder & Sky. 100 minutes. Not Rated. Screened at the 2018 Philadelphia Film Festival.

Olivia Lichtenstein and Nick Bedu at the Philadelphia Film Center. Olivia Lichtenstein & Nick Bedu If You Don’t Know Teddy Pendergrass by Now by Jay S. Jacobs In the early 1980s, Teddy Pendergrass was just on the cusp of superstardom. The Philly-native soul man was known for his silky voice, charismatic performances and athlete’s physique. He had platinum albums, sold-out concerts and was a massive sex symbol – he’d often do “Women only” concerts and sell out the joints every

The Price of Everything THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING (2018) Featuring Amy Cappellazzo, Stefan Edlis, Gael Neeson, Gerhard Richter, Jeff Koons, Larry Poons, George Condo, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Margaret Lee, Marylin Minter, Robert Rauschenberg, Jerry Saltz, Alexander Nemerov and Mary Boone. Directed by Nathaniel Kahn. Distributed by HBO Documentary Films. 98 minutes. Not Rated. Screened at the 2018 Philadelphia Film Festival. I’ve watched a number of different documentaries on th

Overlord OVERLORD (2018) Starring Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Pilou Asbæk, Mathilde Ollivier, John Magaro, Iain de Caestecker, Jacob Anderson, Dominic Applewhite, Gianny Taufer, Joseph Quinn, Bokeem Woodbine, Erich Redman, Mark McKenna, Hayley Carmichael, Marc Rissmann, Meg Foster, Sarah Finigan, Gunther Wurger, Bart Lambert and Michael Epp. Screenplay by Billy Ray and Mark L. Smith. Directed by Julius Avery. Distributed by Paramount Pictures. 110 minutes. Rated R. Screened a

L’Animale L’ANIMALE (2018) Starring Sophie Stockinger, Kathrin Resetarits, Dominik Warta, Julia Franz Richter, Jack Hofer, Stefan Pohl, Dominic Marcus Singer, Simon Morzé, Eva Herzig, David Oberkogler, Martina Spitzer, Lisa C. Nemec, Johanna Orsini-Rosenberg, Gisela Salcher and Alexandra Schmidt. Screenplay by Katharina Mueckstein. Directed by Katharina Mueckstein. Distributed by La Banda Film Production. 96 minutes. Not Rated. Screened at the 2018 Philadelphia Film Festival.

Non-Fiction (Doubles Vies) NON-FICTION (DOUBLES VIES) (2018) Starring Guillaume Canet, Juliette Binoche, Vincent Macaigne, Nora Hamzawi, Christa Théret, Pascal Greggory, Laurent Poitrenaux, Sigrid Bouaziz, Lionel Dray, Nicolas Bouchaud, Antoine Reinartz, Aurélia Petit, Thierry de Peretti, Violaine Gillibert, Jean-Luc Vincent, Laetitia Spigarelli, Stéphane Roger, David Blot and Jeanne Candel. Screenplay by Olivier Assayas. Directed by Olivier Assayas. Distributed by Sundance S

Burning BURNING (2018) Starring Ah-In Yoo, Steven Yeun, Jong-seo Jeon, Soo-Kyung Kim, Seung-ho Choi, Sung-Keun Moon, Bok-gi Min, Soo-Jeong Lee, Hye-ra Ban, Mi-Kyung Cha, Bong-ryeon Lee, Wonhyeong Jang, Seok-Chan Jeon, Ja-Yeon Ok and Joong-ok Lee. Screenplay by Lee Chang-dong & OH Jung-mi. Directed by Lee Chang-dong. Distributed by Well Go USA Entertainment. 148 minutes. Not Rated. Screened at the 2018 Philadelphia Film Festival. First impressions: 148 minutes and I felt most

Studio 54 STUDIO 54 (2018) Featuring Ian Schrager, Bob Colacello, Nile Rodgers and archival footage of Steve Rubell. Directed by Matt Tyrnauer. Distributed by Zeitgeist Films. 98 minutes. Not Rated. Screened at the 2018 Philadelphia Film Festival. You would think that a movie about arguably the most decadent place in the last century would be more interesting than this. Which is not to say Studio 54 – a look at the legendary disco that became a mecca for drugs, dance and cele

Cold War COLD WAR (2018) Starring Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot, Borys Szyc, Agata Kulesza, Cédric Kahn, Jeanne Balibar, Adam Woronowicz, Adam Ferency, Drazen Sivak, Slavko Sobin, Aloïse Sauvage, Adam Szyszkowski, Anna Zagórska, Tomasz Markiewicz, Izabela Andrzejak, Kamila Borowska, Katarzyna Ciemniejewska and Joanna Depczynska. Screenplay by Pawel Pawlikowski and Janusz Glowacki. Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski. Distributed by Amazon Studios. 88 minutes. Rated R. Screened at the 20

Border BORDER (2018) Starring Eva Melander, Eero Milonoff, Jörgen Thorsson, Ann Petrén, Sten Ljunggren, Kjell Wilhelmsen, Rakel Wärmländer, Andreas Kundler, Matti Boustedt, Tomas Åhnstrand, Josefin Neldén, Henrik Johansson, Ibrahim Faal, Åsa Janson, Donald Högberg, Krister Kern, Viktor Åkerblom, Robert Enckell and Elisabeth Göransson. Screenplay by Ali Abbasi and Isabella Eklöf. Directed by Ali Abbasi. Distributed by Neon. 110 minutes. Rated R. Screened at the 2018 Philadelph

Boy Erased BOY ERASED (2018) Starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Joel Edgerton, Russell Crowe, Flea, Joe Alwyn, Xavier Dolan, Troye Sivan, Britton Sear, Jesse Latourette, David Ditmore, Cherry Jones, Matt Burke, William Ngo, Lindsey Moser, Emily Hinkler, David Joseph Craig, Victor McCay, Tim Ware, Joe Alwyn, Madelyn Cline and Josh Scherer. Screenplay by Joel Edgerton. Directed by Joel Edgerton. Distributed by Focus Features. 115 minutes. Rated R. Screened at the 2018 Philad

Everybody Knows EVERYBODY KNOWS (2018) Starring Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Ricardo Darin, Eduard Fernandez, Barbara Lennie, Inma Cuesta, Elvira Minguez, Ramon Barea, Carla Campra, Ivan Chavera, Sara Salamo, Roger Casamajor, Jose Angel Egido, Sergio Castellanos, Jaime Lorente, Elvira Mínguez, Chema Adeva, Jordi Bosch, Stephanie Espil, Paco Pastor Gómez, Marianella Rojas, Paqui Horcajo, Vicente Vergara, Esteban Ciudad, Pedro Nistal and Mar del Corral. Screenplay by Asghar Fa