The Adults (Dustin Guy Defa, 2023). This barbed dramedy settles in with three siblings who muddle through a strained reunion when Eric (Michael Cera) treks to the hometown where his two sisters, Rachel (Hannah Gross) and Maggie (Sophia Lillis), still … Continue reading Then Playing — The Adults; The Cheap Detective; Thief
In many ways, Nyad adheres devotedly the the patterns of most modern biopics. The film strives to convey something close to the totality of its central subject, long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) through focusing the plot on one central … Continue reading Now Playing — Nyad
David Grann’s book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI is the rare example of a bestseller that inspires outrage, at least if read properly. Although I suspect a significant number of copies … Continue reading Now Playing — Killers of the Flower Moon
Talk to Me (Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou, 2023). This horror film, the feature debut by twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, employs the sturdy concept of a cursed object that wreaks deadly havoc on a group of foolhardy souls … Continue reading Then Playing — Talk to Me; Scream; Messiah of Evil
‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’: A Hit That Initially Unnerved Disney by Carlos Aguilar I was managing a movie theater when A Nightmare Before Christmas was initially released, in the fall of 1993. Among my brethren, anticipation was high, but actual … Continue reading Outside Reading — Instead of Screams, I Swear I Can Hear Music in the Air edition
Showing Up (Kelly Reichardt, 2023). Kelly Reichardt demonstrates again that she’s a modern master of small, resoundingly human stories. Working from a screenplay coauthored with her regular writing partner, Jon Raymond, Reichardt tells the story of Lizzy (Michelle Williams), a … Continue reading Then Playing — Showing Up; Dear White People; California Split
Saint Maud (Rose Glass, 2019). The feature debut of writer-director Rose Glass is a spare psychological horror film about young palliative care nurse (Morfydd Clark) who is deeply religious, seemingly because of a traumatic incident with a previous patient. She … Continue reading Then Playing — Saint Maud; Candyman; Blood Quantum
The Canonization of Lou Reed by Jeremy Lybarger Writing for The New Republic, Jeremy Lybarger reviews the new biography Lou Reed: The King of New York and uses the occasion to write more broadly about the life, career, and enduring … Continue reading Outside Reading — Caught Between the Twisted Stars, the Plotted Lines, the Faulty Map edition
By all appearance, Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) are a couple cruising to a life of aggressively grabbed bliss. Freshly engaged, they’re intensely into each other and both feeling like they’re on the fast track at the hedge … Continue reading Now Playing — Fair Play
Bottoms (Emma Seligman, 2023). In a manner that recalls the structural alchemy of her ingenious feature directorial debut, Shiva Baby, which took an uncomfortable experience at a mournful gathering and rendered it with the white-knuckle intensity of the greatest cinematic … Continue reading Then Playing — Bottoms; The Window; Pushover
Coffee for Two 