The Oscars Are Confused About “Barbie” by Michael Schulman A couple weeks back, one of the hosts of the addictive podcast Little Gold Men ruefully predicted that all hell would break loose online if Greta Gerwig wasn’t among the nominees … Continue reading Outside Reading — The Less I Seek My Source for Some Definitive edition
A riveting, deeply heartfelt feature debut. Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2023 — Number Ten
Where in the great pink heavens can I begin a consideration of the 2023 movie year than with the explosive phenomenon that was Barbenheimer? At a time when it still seems as if the very concept of theatrical exhibition of … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2023 — An Introduction
After a string of years where the grand finale of the Academy Awards was largely uncertain up to the point when envelopes started being torn open, today’s nominations announcement confirmed we’re in a season of foregone conclusions. The thirteen nominations … Continue reading Out of the Pink — Thoughts on the Oscar Nominations
Andrew Haigh’s latest is an emotional haymaker that boasts a remarkable performance by Andrew Scott. Continue reading Now Playing — All of Us Strangers
Stamped from the Beginning (Roger Ross Williams, 2023). Somewhat adapted from and somewhat inspired by Ibram X Kendi’s book of the same name, this documentary by Roger Ross Williams pointedly traces the creation and enforcement of racial identity as a … Continue reading Then Playing — Stamped from the Beginning; Bell, Book and Candle; Rustin
J.A. Bayona’s first full-length outing as a director was a horror movie. I thought of that film factoid quite often when watching the Spanish-born director’s latest, the docudrama Society of the Snow. Yes, Bayona builds the narrative (working with three … Continue reading Now Playing — Society of the Snow
The Killer (David Fincher, 2023). Following the prestige passion project Mank, David Fincher returns to the sort of glossy pulp that seems to most stir his cinematic heart. The Killer focuses on a hitman (Michael Fassbender) whose previously perfect professional … Continue reading Then Playing — The Killer; Maestro; Poor Things
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (Sam Fell, 2023). The first Chicken Run, which was also the first feature-length outing for Aardman Animation, was released almost a quarter-century ago. Of course, clay doesn’t really age, so, sure, why not circle … Continue reading Then Playing — Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget; American Symphony; I Wouldn’t Be in Your Shoes
The Main Event (Howard Zieff, 1979). Barbra Streisand stars as Hillary Kramer, the owner of a major perfume corporation who goes bust after her accountant embezzles all of her money and absconds to South America. One of the only assets … Continue reading Then Playing — The Main Event; A Thousand and One; Black Angel
Coffee for Two 