roger hartman

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

#Ohio by #StephenMarkley is a powerful, vivid, and altogether brilliant novel of living, growing up, and dying (often young) in the collapsing, deindustrialized middle America of the early 2000s. Wow can this guy write.

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

Closely observed and well acted by a fine cast, #OnTheBasisOfSex is the origin story of the real life superhero known widely as #RBG. But even a good biopic can’t do justice to this subject, whose very life is a repudiation of the biases the movie so painfully depicts.

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

RIP #RussellBaker. Huge fan.

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

#DickCheney gets the #AdamMcKay treatment in #Vice, a story that would be funny if it weren’t so scary. Not all the gimmicks work but the stars do uncanny impressions of the principals, and it does leave one trembling for the republic.

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

A cynical, spiky, beautifully produced period drama, #TheFavourite boasts superb turns by #EmmaStone #RachelWeisz and #OliviaColman (Oscar anyone?) marred only by some odd camera choices and a discordant, ambiguous ending.

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

Motion capture effects are too much of a good thing in #RobertZemeckis’s vivid, visually impressive, but ultimately frustrating #WelcomeToMarwen. It seems to want to take on art, trauma, and recovery, but ends up being all about the dolls and not so much about the people.

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

The line between template and cliche can be a fine one, and #CreedII treads it very well. Charisma bomb #MichaelBJordan and another nicely modulated performance from #Stallone make it worthwhile, if not quite at the level of its predecessor (but then, what could be?).

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

#GreenBook is an emotional button pushing machine, but the skill and empathy with which it pushes those buttons make it immensely satisfying, helped immeasurably by lovely star turns from #ViggoMortensen and #MahershalaAli.

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

#TheGirlInTheSpidersWeb is a rather limp addition to the #DragonTattoo canon. #ClaireFoy makes a credible #LisbethSalander but the clunky script practically defangs her while adding little to the character. For diehard fans only.

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

#Widows has a decent heist thriller premise but tries to pile on gender politics, female empowerment, social commentary, and Chicago corruption. Director #SteveMcQueen and a fine cast keep us engaged but ultimately the shaky script can’t handle the load.

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

#TheWitchElm is a terrific family psychodrama and murder mystery from the redoubtable #TanaFrench. Great reading!

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

The atmospheric, moody, character driven #TheSistersBrothers vaults immediately into the front rank of westerns. Beautifully written, directed, and photographed, with superb performances by #JohnCReilly, #JoaquinPhoenix, and #JakeGyllenhaal.

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

#BlakeLively oozes Hollywood glamour and #AnnaKendrick is delightful in the darkly comic #ASimpleFavor. Two suburban moms become unlikely BFFs...or do they? In truth it doesn’t quite hold together but a fun ride anyway. And pitching Aviation gin? Really? A bit shameless.

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

Just another Sunday in #Malibu

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

#TheDestroyers by #ChristopherBollen is a superb, beautifully written, adult (in the best sense of the word) literary thriller. Highly recommended.

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

Not even actors as appealing as #MilaKunis and #KateMcKinnon can rescue the dispiriting wreck that is #TheSpyWhoDumpedMe. This ungainly, tone-deaf beast falters within minutes as it pursues both action and comedy, capturing neither.

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

#CrazyRichAsians could use more com with its rom. Charming cast undone by leaden writing, flat-footed direction, and a curiously regressive approach. Plus, when every single supporting character is funnier and/or more interesting than your leads you’ve got a problem.

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

#Mile22 is an occasionally exciting but often incoherent action thriller that is mostly a long car chase, with weapons. Usually reliable director #PeterBerg sends it off the rails, and the movie ends on a weirdly incomplete note. Is a sequel planned, or did they just get bored?

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

#BlacKkKlansman is the best movie of the year by far, a tour de force from #SpikeLee that is at once thrilling, heartbreaking, terrifying, and-amazingly-very funny at times, with a spectacular cast and a #TerenceBlanchard score so powerful it’s like another character. See it.

[roger hartman @rogerhartman123]

#IAmStillAlive by #KateAliceMarshall has been called a “YA” novel (maybe because the protagonist is 16) but don’t be fooled. It’s a compelling tale of survival in the far north that anyone who likes a well-written thriller will enjoy.