War for the Planet of the Apes
The rebooted Planet of the Apes series has been a surprisingly strong and thoughtful blockbuster treat, an unlikely trio of popcorn flicks that pose deeper questions amidst the requisite scenes of...
View ArticleTo the Bone
Films about struggling with some form of mental illness can be difficult to execute, because the typical Hollywood instincts for what constitutes a satisfying character arc tend to do a disservice to...
View ArticleEndless Poetry (Poesía Sin Fin)
We don’t need any more art about what it’s like to be an artist. Why champion the pursuit of a bohemian lifestyle when so few voices push against it? The creative class has seized the narrative to the...
View ArticleChasing Coral
It’s a particular challenge for documentaries about climate change to get an audience’s attention. Besides persuading those who don’t believe it’s happening, filmmakers must present a scientific...
View ArticleRevisit: Shallow Grave
Danny Boyle’s 21st century films feature an eclectic mix of subject matter that nevertheless has tended toward a theme of perseverance or survival. Whether his protagonists elude zombie-like hordes (28...
View ArticleBlind
There’s a semi-sweet romance at the heart of Michael Mailer’s Blind, one that, if given more room to bloom could sustain a genuine, watchable drama. Unfortunately, this film pads the runtime with a...
View ArticleFootnotes
Usually there’s some kind of artifice in the movie musical. Yes, people spontaneously singing and dancing should be artifice enough, but that’s usually accompanied by bright lights, primary colors or...
View ArticleHoly Hell! Chasing Amy Turns 20
Twenty years removed from its original release, Chasing Amy feels at once outdated and relevant in 2017. The romantic comedy, still considered to be director Kevin Smith’s best film (whatever that’s...
View ArticleOeuvre: Demme: Melvin and Howard
Paul Le Mat’s naturalistic performances in Jonathan Demme’s key early films nicely sum up the director’s worldview. Big-eyed and enthusiastic, perhaps a little naïve and with a big, generous heart, Le...
View ArticleGirls Trip
Girls Trip is a brash, gross, lewd, sexually forthright and occasionally violent film. It’s also absolutely wonderful. Bolstered by excellent performances, particularly by relative newcomer Tiffany...
View ArticleValerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets can claim a certain immunity against accusations that its far, far away galaxy-building hews too closely to Star Wars; George Lucas borrowed liberally from...
View ArticleDunkirk
Christopher Nolan has taken us into the mind of an amnesiac, through the dark streets of Gotham City, rocketing into outer space and even into the multi-faceted recesses of the dream world. However, in...
View ArticleThe Untamed
In the most striking scene from Mexican filmmaker Amat Escalante’s notorious Cannes winner Heli, a man held captive by a violent drug cartel has his genitals doused in gasoline and set on fire. The...
View ArticleLandline
Gillian Robespierre’s last teaming with Jenny Slate, Obvious Child, was an acerbic comedy that at the same time was an achingly honest portrayal of Gen-X romance and the emotional toll of abortion. It...
View ArticleThe Gracefield Incident
It’s been 18 years since The Blair Witch Project ushered in the popularity of the found-footage horror film. At the time, small handheld camcorders felt like the scourge of privacy; someone always...
View ArticleThe Midwife
Sadly, it is noteworthy when a film stars two actresses over the age of 60. But more diverse casting doesn’t always translate into good cinema. Writer/director Martin Provost is known for his biopics...
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Rediscover: Black Girl
Black Girl, Ousmane Sembène’s 1966 debut feature film, demonstrates first-hand the demoralizing effects colonialism has wreaked on those on the wrong side of the equation. To the French nationals in...
View ArticleThe Girl Without Hands
We, the film loving audience, have become inured to startlingly detailed animation. Whether we’re watching the latest product from Pixar or a completely CGI character like lead ape Caesar bound about...
View ArticleCriminally Underrated: Twilight
As this year’s Comic Con comes to end, it seems appropriate to revisit one of the films that helped transition the convention (for better or worse) from a celebration of geekdom into a requisite stop...
View ArticleOeuvre: Demme: Swing Shift
The most notorious film of Jonathan Demme’s career, Swing Shift was infamously hacked to pieces at the behest of both Warner Bros and Goldie Hawn, who found the director’s original cut too serious and...
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