Published by Film at Lincoln Center

Michael Sragow

Deep Focus: Downton Abbey

By Michael Sragow
September 20, 2019
Supremely snooty interlopers: the major motion picture recreates the sweet and savory, upstairs-downstairs charms of the beloved TV series

Deep Focus: The Goldfinch

By Michael Sragow
September 12, 2019
Shiny objects: caught in the pointless pointillism of abrupt time jumps, few performers here have the chance to sustain a flow of emotion

Deep Focus: Ready or Not

By Michael Sragow
August 23, 2019
Bored games: the clumsy horror comedy pitches its blood-and-guts flakiness too absurdly high

Deep Focus: Good Boys

By Michael Sragow
August 16, 2019
Youth in revolt: profanity and banality make for a joy-killing combination in Gene Stupnitsky’s sixth-grade, fourth-rate farce

Deep Focus: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

By Michael Sragow
August 9, 2019
Losing heads: the Guillermo del Toro–produced adaptation of the popular children's series recreates the visceral impact of the original, but tames its absurdity

Deep Focus: The Operative and Piranhas

By Michael Sragow
August 2, 2019
Adapting to the times: two intelligent though uninspired genre movies streamline events that play out more lucidly in their source books

Deep Focus: The Lion King

By Michael Sragow
July 19, 2019
Been-there, sung-that: Jon Favreau's photorealistic remake is a lavish excuse to experience the beloved tale again, if not, alas, afresh

Deep Focus: Spider-Man: Far from Home

By Michael Sragow
July 5, 2019
Class trip: the latest entry in the webslinger saga is a witty and fun leap forward

Deep Focus: Toy Story 4

By Michael Sragow
June 21, 2019
Plastic people: though the story is running on fumes, the latest entry is a must-see for its beauty, drollery, and charm

Deep Focus: Dark Phoenix

By Michael Sragow
June 7, 2019
Smells like teen spirit: the latest entry in the X-Men saga relies on the tropes of Young Adult fiction

Deep Focus: Domino

By Michael Sragow
May 31, 2019
Black and white: De Palma’s virtuoso gifts are at odds with a rudimentary scenario in this misfire

Deep Focus: Aladdin

By Michael Sragow
May 24, 2019
Regular carpet ride: Disney’s remake features human actors and digital creatures, but don’t call it “live-action”

Deep Focus: John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum

By Michael Sragow
May 17, 2019
Dogged pursuit: buying a ticket to a John Wick movie is like signing away control of your lizard brain for 130 minutes

Interview: Juliet Taylor

By Michael Sragow
May 2, 2019
Woman of character: the legendary casting director on how her knack for sensing potential remained constant over her 50-year career

Deep Focus: Shazam!

By Michael Sragow
April 11, 2019
Kid's stuff: after decades of portentous superhero movies, a little frivolousness can be recharging

Deep Focus: Christ Stopped at Eboli

By Michael Sragow
April 3, 2019
Down to earth: in Francesco Rosi's political epic, an archetypal fish out of water comes to feel at home on very dry land

Deep Focus: The Mustang

By Michael Sragow
March 15, 2019
A man and his horse: Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s first feature offers an uneven slice of life, cut with a shiv

Deep Focus: Captain Marvel

By Michael Sragow
March 8, 2019
Out of the blue: lacking a unifying vision and a charismatic star performance, the latest Marvel extravaganza is less a big-screen comic than a patchwork quilt.

Deep Focus: The Wedding Guest

By Michael Sragow
March 1, 2019
Soft boiled: Dev Patel acts with an electric wariness in Michael Winterbottom's otherwise flimsy thriller

Deep Focus: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

By Michael Sragow
February 22, 2019
Shangri La: Dean DeBlois’s elating cartoon trilogy finds paradise in a story of a boy, a girl, and their giant flying lizards