Ridley Scott’s Napoleon (2023) shows occasional glimpses of potential but falls under its own weight, failing to tell a compelling story about one of the most compelling men in world history, ultimately winding up nothing more than a cinematic farce.
Read moreBottoms: A Box-Office Hit
This year has seen an uptick in mainstream LGBTQIA+ films. The summer began with a second season of Good Omens, a mythical love story. Next, season two of Netflix’s Heartstopper, based on a series of young adult graphic novels, premiered on August 3rd. Days later, Prime Video released Red, White & Royal Blue based on a book in which the first son of the United States and a young British prince fall in love. All of these pieces of media have one thing in common — they feature men. It’s about time that queer people have a film with queer women, and director Emma Seligman (known for her 2020 film Shiva Baby) delivers with her new comedic film Bottoms. Bottoms is a film that finally focuses on queer women instead of the endless (albeit important) films featuring queer men.
Read moreThe Banshees of Inisherin: Martin McDonagh’s Mournful Ode to Irish Folklore
Well-established as one of the most exceptional writer-directors in modern cinema, Martin McDonagh tackles daunting existential questions with unmatched grace. McDonagh’s films pair slick comedic wit with a kind of philosophical weight, and one quality never obscures the other; they seem to feed off of one another, only illuminating the absurdity of our existence. These grave yet laughable bits of human experience are as potent as ever in McDonagh’s newest (and most unmistakably Irish) film, The Banshees of Inisherin (2022), which reunites Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson from their unforgettable In Bruges (2008) performance.
Read moreDisney Plus’s New Releases: What to Watch This Fall
It’s fall, which means it’s time to bundle up in your sweater, drink some warm apple cider and put a movie on while the wind swirls leaves outside your window. But what to watch? Not to worry - these new releases are the perfect way to enhance your lazy fall day.
Read moreFilm Review: "The Batman" Is In the Eye of the Beholder
At the center of any superhero story is the tension between good and evil. The latest Batman film, inexplicably qualified as The Batman, strategically blurs those concepts, guiding audiences to consider the possibility that our hero and his enemy may not be so different after all. The Batman itself is about sight — what one can or cannot see, what one chooses to see or not see. Viewing the film follows a similar line of logic: either you choose to overlook its flaws, or they are glaringly obvious.
Read moreFilm Review: "Licorice Pizza" Asks, Are You Ever Too Old to Come of Age?
Paul Thomas Anderson’s renown lies largely in his consistency. After decades of filmmaking, Anderson continues to feature flawed characters seeking fame, fortune, and love in suburban Southern California. In Licorice Pizza, Anderson returns predictably — though not disappointingly — to the San Fernando Valley to chronicle two entangled stories of shaping up and striking out.
Read moreLena: A Life in Folk
Last Thursday night, I attended a screening of the new WMHT documentary “Lena: A Life in Folk” which was followed by a Q&A with director Nicole Van Slyke as well as others close to the project.
Read more"Widows": A Different Kind of Heist Movie
Steve McQueen’s Widows opens with a passionate kiss between Veronica Rawlings (Viola Davis) and her husband Harry (Liam Neeson), before cutting to a brutal, chaotic robbery carried out by Harry and his partners. More jarring cuts show the serene domestic lives of the other partners and their wives—Linda (Michelle Rodriguez), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), and Amanda (Carrie Coon)—as the robbers attempt to evade the authorities. This is not a heist movie about hardened, macho criminals, but rather, it’s about the now widows learning to take on those roles themselves.
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