You have not seen anything quite like The Young Pope before. You may not see anything similar afterwards. Its bizarre approach to common themes like parenthood and faith make it riveting even as its characters and plot occasionally falter. Sorrentino, acting as showrunner and director, finds new ways to play with viewers (and characters) in each […]
You have not seen anything quite like The Young Pope before. You may not see anything similar afterwards. Its bizarre approach to common themes like parenthood and faith make it riveting even as its characters and plot occasionally falter. Sorrentino, acting as showrunner and director, finds new ways to play with viewers (and characters) in each […]
Hong-jin Na’s The Wailing provides a fascinating and thrilling look at many different concepts. Not only does he satirize police incompetence, but he also examines the fickle and often silly nature of human loyalty. The protagonist, Jong-Goo (Do-won Kwak), is a bumbling policeman caught up in strange supernatural events in his small Korean village. When his […]
La La Land would seem like a career-making film in anyone else’s hands, but in Damien Chazelle’s second film, he makes it look easy. Opening on a spectacular one-take LA freeway number, La La Land could be the start of a new era of film musicals (along with Sing Street, another inventive musical from this year). Chazelle […]
This is it. The film topping everyone’s list this year. Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea. Any review coming this late in the game can only do so in hopes of answering this simple question: is it worth the hype? Yes, and more. So stunning is Lonergan’s achievement in creating such a precise and naturalistic narrative […]
When I read a novel, I often find myself more focused in picturing the faces of characters than the details of settings. Tom Ford seems to have a similar focus, as his neo-noir Nocturnal Animals uses this idea to unnervingly strong effect. Years after their divorce, Susan (Amy Adams) finds a manuscript of his novel (of […]
About ten minutes into Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople, I remarked to my girlfriend that it felt like an early Wes Anderson plot with late Wes Anderson sensibilities. It’s a story grounded in reality but draped in wonderment and deadpan. 15-year-old hoodrat orphan Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) is sent to the last foster home that […]
Jim Hosking’s debut, The Greasy Strangler, is a truly special film. It is one of those movies that will defy explanation to all and enjoyment to most. I won’t get into the plot details because that would make the film seem far more tame than it is. Here’s what you need to know going in: it’s […]
Jeff Nichols is one of the best currently working American filmmakers. This is a widely held belief, and one that I certainly subscribe to. Unfortunately, Loving is by no means his best, but it is certainly still worthy of the awards buzz it’s getting, especially considering his output this year of not one but two strong […]
(Full disclosure: I have not watched The Walking Dead since season 5 and have only seen the first two episodes of Westworld) When I first saw Green Room, I remember two words constantly coursing through my mind: brutally efficient. At the time, it felt like praise, and it still is for Jeremy Saulnier’s second film (and […]
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