Showing film results: From 16 to 26
It's ironic that a terminal diagnosis can often result in the recipient getting a new lease of life. Knowing exactly how limited your time is can make you determined to embrace life and go out smiling. Conversely, the loved ones of such people often sink into depression, unable to adopt the positive outlook of the friend, lover or family member they're set to lose, forced to put on a brave face while dying a little themselves.
Remember that time when Batman and Superman stopped fighting because they realised they had both been raised by women named Martha? Chloé Zhao's Hamnet, adapted from the 2020 novel by Maggie O'Farrell, is centred on an equally silly contrivance. Just as Zack Snyder noted the aforementioned tenuous link between Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent, O'Farrell twigged that William Shakespeare had a short-lived son named Hamnet and also wrote a play titled 'Hamlet'. Could the two be linked? Err, no. 'Hamlet' was based on the Danish legend of Amleth and doesn't feature so much as a single dead son. But in O'Farrell's eyes Willy the Shake wrote the tragedy as a coping mechanism for the grief he felt over the loss of his boy, which is odd given how the bard penned a couple of comedies in the immediate aftermath of his kid's death.
Though it's adapted from a novel from the '90s (Donald Westlake's 'The Ax', previously filmed as The Axe by Costa-Gavras in 2006), Park Chan-Wook's No Other Choice speaks to very modern fears around job stability in the age of AI. Like Bong Joon-ho's Parasite, it's centred on desperate measures taken by a protagonist to acquire a job, but there is no class satire here. AI doesn't care about our socio-economic backgrounds. It's coming for us all.
"I turn sideways to the sun Keep my thoughts from everyone It's a jungle, I'm a freak Hear me talk, but never speak"
For some people, life can feel like a rollercoaster. But for most of us who are fortunate to live in the relative peace and safety of the western world, life is more like one long straight road. There are occasional bumps, but for the most part we spend our lives headed straight towards a certain destination. To save ourselves from going mad, we try to turn off this road as often as possible as we seek variety, but our responsibilities inevitably force us to return to the highway. One of the things we fear most is monotony and the idea that every day will be exactly the same. It's why we punish people by sending them to prison.
Having won acclaim for his Oscar-nominated documentary Mind the Gap, director Bing Liu makes his narrative feature debut with an adaptation of Atticus Lish's 2014 novel Preparation for the Next Life. Scripted by the Pulitzer-winning playwright Martyna Majok, it's a story of cross-cultural romance. But though the star-crossed lovers here are from very different worlds, none of their cultural differences matter. They're simply two humans, and what threatens to destroy their relationship are their very human flaws.
With Aliens, his sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien, James Cameron decided to up the ante by pluralising the titular monsters. With Influencers, writer/director Kurtis David Harder's welcome sequel to his entertaining 2022 thriller Influencer, it's the victims rather than the villain who have been multiplied. When you have a villain as fiendish as the murderous identity thief CW (Cassandra Naud), one is all you need.
To say the work of the French filmmaking duo Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani is divisive is an understatement. Like Tarantino and Eli Roth, Cattet and Forzani are obsessed with 20th century Italian genre cinema, and weave their influences into their work. But while Tarantino is a natural storyteller, the French duo are truer to their Italian influences in displaying nary the slightest interest in spinning a comprehensible narrative.
Two decades after co-directing 2004's Take Out with Sean Baker, Shih-Ching Tsou has made her solo directorial debut with the Taipei-set family drama Left-Handed Girl. In the years since Take Out, Tsou has produced several of Baker's films, and Baker collaborates again here as co-writer and editor. Anyone familiar with Baker's filmography will recognise his influence here. Once again this is a film about working class strivers doing whatever they can to stay afloat; sex work rears its head; and like Tangerine, it was shot on an adapted iPhone.
For the past seven decades or so, Nazis and Russians have been western action cinema's two main go-to villains. With Sisu: Road to Revenge, aging Finnish tough guy Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila) joins Indiana Jones in becoming the rare action hero that has battled both Nazis and Russians.
(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents a Spring Season of Jazz with free monthly jazz jams at Clement's Place and two special concert events inside the Victoria Theater. This series, running from September through June, is co-presented by NJPAC's Jazz Advisory Committee and Rutgers University–Newark's Institute of Jazz Studies (IJS). Immerse yourself in the relaxing sounds of jazz music that stimulate the players’ and listeners' minds.
(TEANECK, NJ) -- The award-winning PBS documentary series, INDEPENDENT LENS, presents the launch of the upcoming season of Indie Lens Pop-Up in partnership with the Teaneck International Film Festival and the Puffin Cultural Forum. The season kicks-off on February 4, 2026 with The Librarians and continues through May. The series is free for all but sign up is required.
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey proudly presents The Sound Studio Series, an immersive musical experience that places concertgoers at the very heart of the performance. Held in STNJ's intimate Studio space, limited to just 80 attendees, The Sound Studio Series features a dynamic mix of both classical and rock performances. Each concert concludes with an exclusive post-show meet-and-greet with the artists, offering fans a rare opportunity to connect directly with the performers. Tickets for the series are $20-$30.
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Morven Museum & Garden's popular speaker series Grand Homes & Gardens returns for 2026. Coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Freedom at Home: Telling the Full Story of America's Founding Homes and Gardens examines four estates belonging to five signers of the Declaration: William Paca, Richard Henry Lee, Francis Lightfoot Lee, Thomas Jefferson, and Arthur Middleton.
(NEW YORK, NY) -- Producers of the Tony Award®-winning, record-breaking Broadway hit Moulin Rouge! The Musical have announced that three-time Grammy Award-winning superstar and actress Megan Thee Stallion will make her Broadway debut in the production as "Zidler", impresario of the titular nightclub. Taking the stage for a strictly limited 8-week engagement, Megan will light up the Al Hirshfeld Theatre from Tuesday, March 24th to Sunday, May 17, 2026, promising an unmissable, moment in the show's legendary run.
Here's a look at comedy shows taking place across the state from April 16-19, 2026. New Jersey Stage compiles this list from comedy clubs, casinos, and performing arts centers. You can send information on shows to infoatnewjerseystage.com for consideration in future columns.
I’m one of those guys who hates it when people say that rock and roll is dead. That there’s no good new music today. I actually think there may be more good music now than ever, but it’s just harder to find. Since we get a ton of new music sent to us at New Jersey Stage each week, I decided to try something new - a recorded DJ hosted radio show and a column spotlighting new works. The plan is to have a new one every two weeks.
The Makin Waves Song of the Week is "Make This World Stand Still" from Trenton-bred roots/country songstress Lisa Bouchelle's forthcoming album, "Vandals, Thieves & Lovers."
Here is a look at shows taking place this week along with our featured listings and a look at some upcoming shows. New Jersey Stage offers previews of concerts throughout the Garden State as well as select shows in New York City and Philadelphia areas
