Movies starring Dan

Shopgirl, directed by Anand Tucker (Hilary and Jackie) from a screenplay by Steve Martin (adapting his novella), ventures into Lost in Translation territory. Although the relationships in this film are overtly romantic and sexual (as opposed to wha...

Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve embraces a bleak worldview, or at least that's what his filmography would lead audiences to believe. His celebrated movies, which include Incendies, Prisoners, and now Sicario (and will soon add the long-gestat...

Spoilers Ahoy! This isn’t the kind of narratively-driven movie where spoilers make a great difference to the overall experience but, in order to provide an analysis of Silence, I have opted to talk about some key plot points that occur late in ...

John Sayles has always made political films; they are his bread-and-butter. Yet none, not even Matewan or City of Hope, has been more openly partisan than Silver City, which rips into the anti-environmental policies of the current administration, ...

Somewhere in Simon Birch, buried not too deeply beneath the surface, lie the seeds of a moving story. Unfortunately, as told by Mark Steven Johnson, this loose adaptation of John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany" is a relentlessly manipulativ...

When it comes to The Simpsons, longevity is an asset few can ignore. 18 years old and counting, the TV series has carved its niche into pop culture. Most of today's high school students hadn't been born when The Simpsons debuted as filler on Trac...

Sing Street is John Carney’ Valentine to the people and places of his youth and the varied and oft-maligned music that defined the 1980s. Carney infuses the familiar framework of the “coming of age” story with songs and whimsy and a touc...

Sinister 2 falls in line with a majority of the horror films being produced today (especially those with numbers next to the titles): uninspired regurgitations that exist solely to make a few quick bucks from a ravenous (and often undiscriminating) a...

Sinners commits one of the rarest of rare transgressions in modern cinema: it’s too ambitious. Writer/director Ryan Coogler has far too much to say for one movie but, instead of opting for another medium in which to present the story or shaving ...

The strength of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, like its unnumbered predecessor, lies in the appeal and complexity of the characters. The four friends who form the backbone of the narrative are warm, believable individuals. We like them. ...