Richard Brody
Richard Brody began writing for The New Yorker in 1999 and has contributed articles about the directors François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, and Wes Anderson. Since 2005, he has been the movie-listings editor at the magazine; he writes film reviews and a blog about movies. He is the author of the book “Everything Is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard” and is at work on a book about the lasting influence of the French New Wave.
“It Ends with Us” Showcases Blake Lively’s Wry Grandeur
This fervently romantic adaptation of a novel by Colleen Hoover, about a businesswoman confronting a legacy of abuse, channels the moods and styles of classic Hollywood melodramas.
The Macabre Ironies of “Trap”
Lurking beneath M. Night Shyamalan’s new thriller are the commonplace horrors of family life.
“Out of Anger”: Listening to Elizabeth Taylor
A new documentary based on 1964 interviews lays bare the gap between private self and public image.
The Return of “No Fear, No Die,” Claire Denis’s First Masterwork
This 1990 drama reveals, in documentary-like detail, the power and the politics of an illegal cockfighting ring.
“Twisters” Takes the Fun Out of Heavy Weather
The original “Twister” had no compunction about making tornadoes look awesome. Lee Isaac Chung’s sequel treats them as deadly serious.
“Fly Me to the Moon” Lacks Mission Control
This rom-com about the marketing of the Apollo space program, starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, has an inconsistent tone and a vague point of view.
An Ingenious New French Comedy of Art and Friendship
The director Pascale Bodet works wonders in “Vas-Tu Renoncer?,” based on the relationship of Édouard Manet and Charles Baudelaire.
“Last Summer” Is a Ferocious Vision of Sexual Frenzy
The French director Catherine Breillat’s new film, a fiercely antagonistic tale of an incestuous affair, is both a long-delayed return to work and an artistic self-renewal.
Richard Brody’s Best Movies of 2024 So Far
At the midway point of the year, the film critic discusses his top three pictures.
Kevin Costner’s “Horizon” Goes West but Gets Nowhere
The actor-director’s three-hour Western, the first installment of a planned tetralogy, rushes through its many stories and straight past American history.
“Janet Planet”: Melt the Icebergs
The playwright Annie Baker’s first feature conceals its depth of experience under a narrow array of details.
“The Bikeriders” Lends a Wild Bunch a Mythic Grandeur
Jeff Nichols’s adaptation of the photographer Danny Lyon’s 1968 book about a Chicago motorcycle club is a tough, turbulent, but airbrushed drama.
“Shoeshine” Marked a New Era of Political Cinema
Vittorio De Sica’s 1946 neorealist drama helped put Italian movies at the center of world cinema.
The Rediscovery of “Naked Acts” Expands Film History
Bridgett M. Davis’s 1996 drama centers the art of movies on the legacy and the experiences of Black actresses.
“Flipside” Is a Treasure Trove of Music and Memory
Chris Wilcha’s documentary explores life, love, and art through his connection to a venerable record store.
Could Elaine May Finally Be Getting Her Due?
A new biography gives a compelling sense of a comic and cinematic genius, and also of the forces that derailed her Hollywood career.
The Sexy Mind Games of “Hit Man”
In Richard Linklater’s romantic crime comedy, an undercover operative transforms his love life by means of professional deceptions.
New Releases Make Old Jazz Young Again
Rediscovered archival concerts—and one recent one—offer important revelations.
How Hindsight Distorts Our View of the Beatles in “Let It Be”
Usually seen as a document of the band’s breakup, the documentary, newly restored by Peter Jackson, is just as much a record of freewheeling inspiration.
How Does “Challengers” Make a Love Triangle Feel So Empty?
The fussy structure of Luca Guadagnino’s film dissipates the erotic charge on which the drama relies.
“It Ends with Us” Showcases Blake Lively’s Wry Grandeur
This fervently romantic adaptation of a novel by Colleen Hoover, about a businesswoman confronting a legacy of abuse, channels the moods and styles of classic Hollywood melodramas.
The Macabre Ironies of “Trap”
Lurking beneath M. Night Shyamalan’s new thriller are the commonplace horrors of family life.
“Out of Anger”: Listening to Elizabeth Taylor
A new documentary based on 1964 interviews lays bare the gap between private self and public image.
The Return of “No Fear, No Die,” Claire Denis’s First Masterwork
This 1990 drama reveals, in documentary-like detail, the power and the politics of an illegal cockfighting ring.
“Twisters” Takes the Fun Out of Heavy Weather
The original “Twister” had no compunction about making tornadoes look awesome. Lee Isaac Chung’s sequel treats them as deadly serious.
“Fly Me to the Moon” Lacks Mission Control
This rom-com about the marketing of the Apollo space program, starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, has an inconsistent tone and a vague point of view.
An Ingenious New French Comedy of Art and Friendship
The director Pascale Bodet works wonders in “Vas-Tu Renoncer?,” based on the relationship of Édouard Manet and Charles Baudelaire.
“Last Summer” Is a Ferocious Vision of Sexual Frenzy
The French director Catherine Breillat’s new film, a fiercely antagonistic tale of an incestuous affair, is both a long-delayed return to work and an artistic self-renewal.
Richard Brody’s Best Movies of 2024 So Far
At the midway point of the year, the film critic discusses his top three pictures.
Kevin Costner’s “Horizon” Goes West but Gets Nowhere
The actor-director’s three-hour Western, the first installment of a planned tetralogy, rushes through its many stories and straight past American history.
“Janet Planet”: Melt the Icebergs
The playwright Annie Baker’s first feature conceals its depth of experience under a narrow array of details.
“The Bikeriders” Lends a Wild Bunch a Mythic Grandeur
Jeff Nichols’s adaptation of the photographer Danny Lyon’s 1968 book about a Chicago motorcycle club is a tough, turbulent, but airbrushed drama.
“Shoeshine” Marked a New Era of Political Cinema
Vittorio De Sica’s 1946 neorealist drama helped put Italian movies at the center of world cinema.
The Rediscovery of “Naked Acts” Expands Film History
Bridgett M. Davis’s 1996 drama centers the art of movies on the legacy and the experiences of Black actresses.
“Flipside” Is a Treasure Trove of Music and Memory
Chris Wilcha’s documentary explores life, love, and art through his connection to a venerable record store.
Could Elaine May Finally Be Getting Her Due?
A new biography gives a compelling sense of a comic and cinematic genius, and also of the forces that derailed her Hollywood career.
The Sexy Mind Games of “Hit Man”
In Richard Linklater’s romantic crime comedy, an undercover operative transforms his love life by means of professional deceptions.
New Releases Make Old Jazz Young Again
Rediscovered archival concerts—and one recent one—offer important revelations.
How Hindsight Distorts Our View of the Beatles in “Let It Be”
Usually seen as a document of the band’s breakup, the documentary, newly restored by Peter Jackson, is just as much a record of freewheeling inspiration.
How Does “Challengers” Make a Love Triangle Feel So Empty?
The fussy structure of Luca Guadagnino’s film dissipates the erotic charge on which the drama relies.