Why ‘The Magnificent Seven’ Isn’t Quite The Western We Need in the Age of Trump
Antoine Fuqua’s new western is a worthy addition to the canon, but as political commentary it’s slow on the draw.
Archives | Peter Sarsgaard
The Magnificent Seven
Seven gun men in the old west gradually come together to help a poor village against savage thieves.
Robot and Frank
A delightful dramatic comedy, a buddy picture, and, for good measure, a heist film. Curmudgeonly old Frank lives by himself. His routine involves daily visits to his local library, where he has a twinkle in his eye for the librarian. His grown children are concerned about their father’s well-being and buy him a caretaker robot. Initially resistant to the idea, Frank soon appreciates the benefits of robotic support – like nutritious meals and a clean house – and eventually begins to treat his robot like a true companion. With his robot’s assistance, Frank’s passion for his old, unlawful profession is reignited, for better or worse.
Lovelace
Story of Linda Lovelace, who is used and abused by the porn industry at the behest of her coercive husband, before taking control of her life.
Very Good Girls
Two New York City girls pact to lost their virginity during their first summer out of high school. When they both fall for the same street artist, the friends find their connection tested for the first time.
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
Based on Michael Chabon’s novel, the film chronicles the defining summer of a recent college graduate who crosses his gangster father and explores love, sexuality, and the enigmas surrounding his life and his city.
An Education
A coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age.
Green Lantern
For centuries, a small but powerful force of warriors called the Green Lantern Corps has sworn to keep intergalactic order. Each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of the first human ever recruited.
Black Mass
The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.
Experimenter
In 1961, social psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted the “obedience experiments” at Yale University. The experiments observed the responses of ordinary people asked to send harmful electrical shocks to a stranger. Despite pleadings from the person they were shocking, 65 percent of subjects obeyed commands from a lab-coated authority figure to deliver potentially fatal currents. With Adolf Eichmann’s trial airing in living rooms across America, Milgram’s Kafkaesque results hit a nerve, and he was accused of being a deceptive, manipulative monster. [Synopsis courtesy of Sundance Film Festival]
Garden State
Andrew returns to his hometown for the funeral of his mother, a journey that reconnects him with past friends. The trip coincides with his decision to stop taking his powerful antidepressants. A chance meeting with Sam – a girl also suffering from various maladies – opens up the possibility of rekindling emotional attachments, confronting his psychologist father, and perhaps beginning a new life.
Pawn Sacrifice
American chess phenomenon Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) squares off against his Russian rival Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber) in the 1972 “Match of the Century” in Reykjavik, in this gripping docudrama from director Edward Zwick (Glory) and screenwriter Steven Knight (Eastern Promises). [Synopsis courtesy of Toronto International Film Festival]