You know it's an odd weekend when you have consecutive films that rely heavily on the sound designers to make them succeed. Whereas You Were Never Really Here assaulted and bombarded the audience with a cacophony of chaotic noise to show us just how tormented Joaquin Phoenix's character was, here in John Krasinski's A Quiet Place, silence … Continue reading Silence is Golden, Blood is Red – A Quiet Place
Written and directed by Lynne Ramsay (best known for We Need to Talk About Kevin), the harsh and traumatic You Were Never Really Here was one of the darlings of last year's Cannes Film Festival, where it earned a seven-minute standing ovation after its premiere (in an unfinished state), as well as Best Screenplay honors for Ramsay … Continue reading Phoenix Rises to Lay Some Devastating Smackdowns – You Were Never Really Here
Over the past year I've watched a lot of documentaries, mostly to get ahead of the Oscars whenever I got the chance. Even then I only saw 14 of the 15 shortlisted films (the last one comes out on DVD this week!). Anyway, the bulk of the docs were filled with some pretty heavy material: … Continue reading He’s a Fiddler and a Goof – Itzhak
As promised at the end of this year's Oscar coverage, I'm going to start doing a (hopefully) regular feature where I just talk about something random in the movie world. I call it "Back Row Thoughts," because I'm the idiot in the back row. This space may be used for bloc reviews, lists, general musings, … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Recommendations and Remakes
Okay, right off the bat I feel I have to give away a major spoiler for Steven Spielberg's latest film, Ready Player One, based on Ernest Cline's best-selling novel (Cline also co-wrote the screenplay). Don't worry, I'm not telling you how it ends, just how it doesn't end. You see, it's a sci-fi film from Spielberg, but … Continue reading Future Gamers Go on a Cinematic Speed Run – Ready Player One
The films of Wes Anderson have been sort of hit and miss for me. I absolutely loved The Grand Budapest Hotel, and thought it should have won Best Picture. I got Rushmore, but apart from the lead performances, it really didn't resonate. I couldn't stand The Royal Tenenbaums. I enjoy his artistic style and snappy dialogue, but sometimes … Continue reading If I Had a Tail, it Would Wag the Whole Time – Isle of Dogs
In his 1994 debut, Clerks, writer-director-actor-my hero Kevin Smith started his most famous running gag. During a frank discussion about sex, Dante Hicks and his girlfriend Veronica have a fight because Veronica claims a moral high ground, as she's only had sex with three men as opposed to Dante's 12 women. However, the punchline is that … Continue reading Kevin Smith’s Signature Joke Becomes a Movie Premise – Flower
Representation in mainstream cinema has a long way to go, but there have certainly been significant strides in the right direction. Case in point: Greg Berlanti's new film, Love, Simon. It's a testament to how far we've come as a society (and how far we still have to go) that an otherwise standard teen rom-com could … Continue reading A Love Story That’s Short on Substance, but Big on Heart – Love, Simon
First things first, I must apologize for the lateness of this review. I actually saw this movie a few days ago, but I've been dealing with myriad computer issues over the last 48 hours, so I've had to focus on that. I can't even guarantee that my machine won't crash half a dozen times while … Continue reading In Soviet Russia, Movie Laughs at You! – The Death of Stalin
Disney's latest adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time (they did a TV movie in 2003) had all the ingredients to be great. First off, it was my favorite book as a child (though my first exposure to the story was in an opera in 1992 put on by OperaDelaware, which adapts children's stories for the stage … Continue reading Ava DuVernay Proves That Even the Best of Us Have Off Days – A Wrinkle In Time
I Actually Paid To See This 