★★★★☆ Portraying the acclaimed late author, an equally celebrated actor acclimates us to the inevitability of loss.
A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE: THE TITLE IS PERHAPS ALL TOO APT
★★☆☆☆ Jim Parsons puts in minimal effort in portraying a driven, passionate “nobody.”
The Unbelieving: Agnostics Anonymous — Renegade Preachers Confess Their Doubts
★★★★☆ Has God left the building? Nine religious professionals, of varied faiths, suspect that the party may be over.
Montag: A Female Odd Couple Sits Out a Crisis
★★★☆☆ Two women barricade themselves against the outside world and seek refuge in one another’s company.
F*ck7thGrade: Singer/songwriter Jill Sobule recalls that trying time
★★★★☆ Relive the agonies of your first romantic entanglements — prompted by an extraordinarily honest and insightful sympathizer.
Topdog/Underdog: Keep your eye on the winner — but which?
★★★★★ It’s a story as old as Cain and Abel, but Suzan-Lori Parks made it contemporary and compelling — a neo-classic.
Chester Bailey: A Civilian Casualty of World War II
★★★★☆ Reed and Ephraim Birney (father and son) recreate a doctor-patient relationship from 1945 that delivers equal parts shock and awe.
Wuthering Heights: Happily a Bit Extra
★★★★☆ The course of true love endures some rough — but riveting — turns in Emma Rice’s imaginative musical rendering.
Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge: Verbatim but disembodied
★★☆☆☆ Why flatten the affect of two powerful orators? Baldwin’s points bear repeating; Buckley’s condescension rankles as ever.
american (tele)visions: ‘80s Nostalgia Adorns a Standard Family Saga
★★☆☆☆ An immigrant tale packed with tragedy forfeits urgency when too artfully pixelated.