Justin Chang
Justin Chang is a film critic for the Los Angeles Times and NPR's Fresh Air, and a regular contributor to KPCC's FilmWeek. He previously served as chief film critic and editor of film reviews for Variety.
Chang is the author of FilmCraft: Editing, a book of interviews with seventeen top film editors. He serves as chair of the National Society of Film Critics and secretary of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
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The live-action reboot has its charming moments, but like a lot of Disney remakes, this Little Mermaid feels like a dutiful cover rather than an inspired reimagining. -
This smartly entertaining new movie tells the story of how the BlackBerry became the hottest personal handheld device on the market — only to get crushed by the iPhone.
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Two young boys meet in the Alps and forge a life-changing bond. It's not just the visual grandeur of the Italian-language drama that wows you; it's also the way it merges the epic and the intimate.
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Kelly Fremon Craig's terrific adaptation of Blume's 1970 novel doesn't pretend to have all the answers. But by the end, the awkward preteen at its center has achieved her own state of grace.
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Ari Aster's three-hour odyssey, featuring Joaquin Phoenix as a middle-aged man on a quest to visit his mother, is the kind of freakish jumble only a gifted filmmaker could make.
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Michelle Williams plays an introverted sculptor struggling to find the time, space, money and energy to pursue her calling in Kelly Reichardt's rueful comedy.
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Ben Affleck's film is a dramatization of how Nike signed NBA rookie Michael Jordan in a legendary deal that would forever change the landscape of celebrity endorsements and professional sports.
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Teyana Taylor stars as a mom trying to build a home for her son in an intimate Sundance Film Festival winner that's more surprising than it looks.
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Tori and Lokita is the latest gripping moral thriller from Belgian filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. The story is swift and relentless; it runs barely 90 minutes and never slows down.
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Palm Trees and Power Lines is a gripping cautionary tale about abuse and trafficking — but it is scrupulous in its refusal to sensationalize.
