Ella Taylor
Ella Taylor is a freelance film critic, book reviewer and feature writer living in Los Angeles.
Born in Israel and raised in London, Taylor taught media studies at the University of Washington in Seattle; her book Prime Time Families: Television Culture in Post-War America was published by the University of California Press.
Taylor has written for Village Voice Media, the LA Weekly, The New York Times, Elle magazine and other publications, and was a regular contributor to KPCC-Los Angeles' weekly film-review show FilmWeek.
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Director Karyn Kusama has a history of films where women fight back. But Destroyer, despite its transformation of Nicole Kidman, fails to develop a compelling story to support that transformation.
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This sweetly funny tale of a recently widowed Orthodox Jew struggling to care for his son offers a humane and sympathetic view of life in a Hasidic enclave.
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Director Terry George's historical drama about three people swept up in the 1915 massacre of Armenians lacks subtlety and sophistication, but features powerful, visceral imagery.
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Critic Ella Taylor says this quirky love story "shimmers with the magic of a fairy tale" yet "has its feet firmly planted on the ground of Japan's past and present."
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A new comedy starring Adam Scott and Taylor Schilling tests the boundaries of good taste for both the two couples at its center and the film itself.
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In 2007, filmmaker John Maloof bought thousands of undeveloped negatives at an auction. Now, he and Charlie Siskel present Finding Vivian Maier, a film about the reclusive woman behind the photos.
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Documentarian Jamie Meltzer tells the story of the onetime leftist, who turned FBI informant — with a little help from Darby himself. (Recommended)
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A new comedy starring Tina Fey and Lily Tomlin levies barbs at overactive parents in the college application process. It's a lively satire until it careens into typical rom-com territory: Can't modern women have a successful work-life balance without going insane?
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Any Day Now, set against the backdrop of the 1970s, tells the story of a gay couple's fight to adopt a neglected boy with Down syndrome. Director Travis Fine's film lacks technical polish, but critic Ella Taylor says the story's heart makes up for most of its faults.