Rooney Mara

With an inflated run time of two and a half hours, it's inevitable that some of del Toro’s themes would resonate. Unfortunately, many of them fall short of the target in “Nightmare Alley.”

Ben’s journey mixes traumatic scenes with magical museum chases that unfold to be emblematic of the easiness of friendship in childhood.

It’s the height of summer, but theaters around the Bay Area are currently resplendent in a wide variety of amazing pictures right now, from tentpole superhero movies to quiet, meditative micro-budget films

There are, in fact, two ghosts in David Lowery's “A Ghost Story.” One is played by Casey Affleck, covered in a white hospital morgue sheet with two hastily cut eye holes. The other is us.

Quiet, meditative and at times a touch cosmic in theme, the film is one of this year’s best and a shining example of how indie, micro-budget films can strike poignant, thought-provoking emotional chords. David Lowery wrote, directed and edited the film, and he sat down with The Daily Californian to discuss his creative process.

The films released between May and August are some of the most exciting of the year as blockbusting CGI-fests and Oscar contenders alike convene at the multiplex.

Whether or not it’s because of Malick’s penchant for shooting without giving his actors a fixed script, the film wastes the talents of a truly all-star cast.