Joe Leydon

The thin line between cheating death and chasing it appears to have been smudged, repeatedly, by maverick video journalist Margaret Moth, the subject of first-time filmmaker Lucy Lawless’ fascinating documentary “Never Look Away.” At least, that’s the impression we’re left with at the end of this compact yet complex portrait of a singularly and aggressively […]

Call “Sight” a stealth faith-based movie and you won’t be far off the mark. For the most part, it’s a respectful but unremarkable biopic about Dr. Ming Wang, a Chinese-born, Nashville-based eye surgeon whose innovative use of amniotic membrane contact lenses has helped restore the eyesight of millions of patients, many of them children. But […]

If you’re going to set your movie somewhere in the intersection of two worlds fraught with danger — say, bull-riding competitions and hardcore crime — it’s always a good idea to cast actors who look and sound comfortable, and credible, in both places. There are quite a few things to admire in “Ride,” director Jake […]

With “Kalki 2898 AD,” Telugu cinema filmmaker Nag Ashwin rifles through a century of sci-fi and fantasy extravaganzas to create a wildly uneven mashup of everything from Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” to Marvel Comics movies, underpinned by elements from the Hindu epic poem “Mahabharata.” It’s billed, perhaps optimistically, as the first chapter of the Kalki Cinematic […]

In the interest of full disclosure, it should be stated at the outset that “Heart Strings,” a musical drama about a young couple competing against each other in a reality TV show, was co-written (with director Ate de Jong) by Steven Gaydos, a 30-year veteran of Variety. As he has indicated here and elsewhere, Gaydos […]

Terrence Howard and Esai Morales play Little Rock cops with dark secrets investigating a series of grisly murders in 'Crescent City.'

'Reagan,' a biopic about the political and personal life of President Ronald Reagan, stars Dennis Quaid in an affable turn and is directed by Sean McNamara ('Soul Surfer,' 'Bratz').

Netflix's new documentary 'Going Varsity in Mariachi' provides an engaging portrait of the world of high school band competitions in Texas.

James Carville frets about the 2024 presidential race — until his warnings about a worst-case scenario are heeded in Matt Tyrnaeur's documentary. 

Despite its predictability and stretches of pokey pacing, director Andrew Boodhoo Kightlinger’s drama remains engrossing throughout.