Category: ★★

downsizing-movie

Downsizing ★★

While watching Downsizing, I was struck with the memory of a directors roundtable in 2011, which included Steve McQueen and Downsizing‘s director Alexander Payne, amongst several others. The roundtable was noted for McQueen being asked about unequalRead Full Review

wonder-wheel-movie

Wonder Wheel ★★

Woody Allen has been short on things to say for a while now. Even his hits, like Blue Jasmine, are recycled territory buoyed by a great lead performance. This is about where Wonder Wheel resides, a bloatedRead Full Review

blade-runner-2049-movie

Blade Runner 2049 ★★

Let’s start with the obvious: we’ve never actually needed a sequel to Blade Runner. Ridley Scott’s 1982 film is a moody noir that found its audience over time and after several different cuts. That movie hasRead Full Review

good-time-movie

Good Time ★★

Good Time is an incredibly well-directed film, made by two directors that have a frighteningly strong grasp of the tone and effect of the story they’re trying to tell. A lot of this is the kindRead Full Review

detroit-movie

Detroit ★★

It’s important to note that screenwriter Mark Boal was unable to acquire the rights to John Hersey’s book “The Algiers Motel Incident”, and based his screenplay for Detroit on his own research – interviews and first-personRead Full Review

the-little-hours-movie

The Little Hours ★★

It’s hard for me to know what to make of The Little Hours. It, at times, feels like the consequence of too much unchecked postmodernity. The film is unapologetically unhinged in its portrayal of human behavior.Read Full Review

t2-trainspotting-movie

T2 Trainspotting ★★

In the last decade, Danny Boyle has become quite the sentimentalist. T2 Trainspotting is an exercise in nostalgia unlike any I’ve ever seen. The film is more successful as a run of fan-service vignettes designed toRead Full Review

get-out-movie

Get Out ★★

The opening sequence in Jordan Peele’s directorial debut is a powerful, single shot. A young man (played by Lakeith Stanfield) walks the dark, quiet streets of a seemingly calm suburb. Before long he’s being followedRead Full Review

jackie-movie

Jackie ★★

The JFK assassination is such a ferocious seam within the fabric of American mythology. His death, captured on television for the world to see, revealed a first-hand barbarity that most people weren’t used to outsideRead Full Review

lion-movie

Lion ★★

Whether fair or not, Lion being distributed by the Weinstein Company carries with it a certain expectation. Again, fair or not, Lion will be labled as “Oscar bait” because of the reputation of the Weinstein brothers, twoRead Full Review

denial

Denial ★★

Director Mick Jackson has produced a lot of work for television, and that makes a lot of sense when you watch a film like Denial. I don’t mean to denigrate television – lord knows weRead Full Review

wiener-dog

Wiener-Dog ★★

This is the Todd Solondz we know so well. Where the return of Welcome to the Dollhouse‘s Dawn Wiener would come packaged haphazardly within an aimless anthology film titled Wiener-Dog. The film is four stories,Read Full Review

green-room

Green Room ★★

If you were lucky enough to see Jeremy Saulnier’s Blue Ruin in 2014, then you had the pleasure to catch one of the more captivating thrillers of that year; a film that had a refreshing, directRead Full Review

demolition

Demolition ★★

After Dallas Buyers Club and Wild, director Jean-Marc Vallée completes his trilogy of lost souls with his latest film, Demolition. Much like Wild, the film is a histrionic meditation on grief through the point-of-view of someoneRead Full Review

race

Race ★★

Race is a movie that means well. It has its heart in the right place, the same way that Brian Helgeland’s 2013 film 42 did when it attempted to make a biopic about Jackie Robinson. The problem withRead Full Review

deadpool

Deadpool ★★

I have little doubt that Deadpool is the movie that its biggest fans want it to be. It’s crude and infantile, deafeningly obnoxious and horribly violent. There is a charm to this film, its complete acceptanceRead Full Review

joy

Joy ★★

Jennifer Lawrence is doing incredible work in Joy but to what end? The film is an unconscionable mess, and works best if you try to think about it as a solid acting reel for the youngRead Full Review

Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead ★★

Sidney Lumet has already established himself as a masterful filmmaker. Few people in the movie business can boast credits that include 12 Angry Men, Network, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Verdict. It seems strange, then, a couple of yearsRead Full Review