A couple years ago I got to briefly meet director David Lowery at a Q&A following his film, The Old Man & the Gun. As much as I enjoyed the film, I was captivated by Lowery's reverence for Robert Redford as an actor, and for the Western film genre that he was both deconstructing and … Continue reading It’s Not Easy Being Gawain – The Green Knight
Last year was a tremendous boon for Netflix when it came to the Oscar stage. The success of Roma (as well as The Ballad of Buster Scruggs to a lesser extent, not to mention a slew of documentaries over the years), followed by the Academy's rebuke of traditionalists like Steven Spielberg emboldened the world's premiere streaming … Continue reading DownStream – Netflix and Shill, Part 1
Gender and sexual identity has been a major source for Hollywood stories for the better part of the last three decades, and it would be fascinating to see the evolution of LGBT characters in film over that span. It's also instant Oscar bait for those involved, as sexual diversity is a big box check during … Continue reading God’s Not Here, But Your Son Is – Boy Erased
It seems apparent that director Nash Edgerton and writer Matthew Stone (writer of Intolerable Cruelty, Man of the House, Life, and Soul Men, not the co-creator of South Park) were really trying to capture the wonderful silliness of the classic caper films of old with their newest film, Gringo. At times they succeed, with the movie containing some of the madcap … Continue reading Es un Mundo Loco, Loco, Loco, Loco – Gringo
First thing's first: If you're thinking about seeing this because of some Jennifer Lawrence nudity and eroticism, your investment will be paid off around the 45-minute mark. But if that's all you're looking for, wait for the DVD. If you're looking for a taut political thriller or a spy film for the 21st century, then … Continue reading American Propaganda Invades a Russian Spy Thriller – Red Sparrow
I Actually Paid To See This 