Why The Vast of Night hits close to home
On Movies & Media,Film Reviews
June 24, 2020
Like 2019's Prospect, Amazon's new sci-fi thriller The Vast of Night makes magic with modest resources and gives us the two most memorable investigators of the paranormal since Mulder and Scully first argued.
1 Comment15 Minutes
Predators in academia: Shirley’s search for lost girls
On Movies & Media,Film Reviews
June 8, 2020
Shirley, driven by great performances from Elizabeth Moss and Michael Stuhlbarg, is dark, strange, and unnervingly wise.
1 Comment15 Minutes
Raised by 20th Century Women
On Movies & Media,Film Reviews
May 23, 2020
I recently caught up with director Mike Mills's film 20th Century Women and wished I'd seen it earlier to include it in my 2016 Favorites list.
0 Comments13 Minutes
Onward’s Frivolous Fantasy
On Movies & Media,Film Reviews
May 8, 2020
Looking for an escape from sheltering-at-home familiarity, I turned to America's most reliable animation studio. But Pixar's Onward remains stuck in uninspired tropes.
0 Comments21 Minutes
Catching Up With Cléo from 5 to 7
On Movies & Media,Film Reviews
May 5, 2020
In which I begin posting thoughts on the movies I'm watching during the 2020 season of COVID-19 lockdown. First up? A beloved French New Wave masterpiece by Agnes Varda.
1 Comment18 Minutes
Before Mulan… we had Whale Rider.
On Movies & Media,Film Reviews
March 26, 2020
Before you see Niki Caro's reinvention of Mulan, discover her 2003 film about another young female hero who subverts the expectations of her people and overturns restrictive patriarchal traditions.
0 Comments14 Minutes
Vagabond (1985)
On Movies & Media,Film Reviews
March 25, 2020
My enthusiasm for Agnes Varda's documentaries has prompted many to recommend her narrative features. This week, I caught up with Vagabond.
0 Comments6 Minutes
The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)
February 29, 2020
Joe Cornish's latest is something less than a chip off the ol' Attack the Block.
0 Comments10 Minutes
Let the Corpses Tan (2019)
February 22, 2020
Dazzling and hyperviolent, Let the Corpses Tan is one of the most creative thrillers I've seen in years. But take a note of heavy caution: It's also upsettingly graphic.
0 Comments6 Minutes
El Sur (1983)
February 18, 2020
In which I catch up with a 1983 masterpiece — a father-daughter dance for the ages.
0 Comments7 Minutes