Nightfall (Jacques Tourneur, 1956). Peered at through the binoculars of modern retrospection, it’s nearly impossible to look at this nineteen-fifties film noir and not see Fargo in one of the lenses. The Coen brothers classic shared a lot of DNA … Continue reading Then Playing — Nightfall; Rock ‘n’ Roll High School; The Long Good Friday
Reviews of the comedy that ended Elaine May’s directing career, a weak drama with a fine Emma Thompson performance, and a documentary about Linda Ronstadt. Continue reading Then Playing — Ishtar; The Children Act; Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice
Reviews of films directed by Emerald Fennell, Elaine May, and Jack Smight. Continue reading Then Playing — Saltburn; A New Leaf; Kaleidoscope
Featuring: Brooke Barnes on a modern movie mogul and Frankie de la Cretaz on rise of women’s sports bars. Continue reading Outside Reading — Universal Truths edition
Whatever quibbles I might have, last night brought the best Oscars ceremony in years. Continue reading Oscarheimer
This week featuring: Joshua Hunt on Criterion, Lulu Garcia-Navarro interviewing Isabella Rossellini, and Ethan Shanfeld on a middle-of-the-night showing of “Dune: Part Two.” Continue reading Outside Reading — The Collection edition
A longstanding Oscar Week tradition continues: Here’s the way I would have filled out an Actors Branch nomination ballot. Continue reading Twenty Performances, or The King (and Queen) of Payne
Todd Haynes’s best film to date is also the best film of the year. Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2023 — Number One
Let it never be said that Wes Anderson is oblivious about the sometimes chagrined reactions to his peculiar, distinctive aesthetic. For me, all those precisely precious shot compositions and loquacious, snappy-patter cascades of dialogue generally give his films an added … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2023 — Number Two
Just when you thought it was safe to go back onto the sand…. Continue reading Now Playing — Dune: Part Two
Coffee for Two 