Twenty Performances, or Tick, Tick… Nom!
We come to another tradition of mine. The last day before the Oscars that isn’t claimed by other recurring business, I offer the names that I would have scratched out on an Actors Branch nominating ballot had I the privilege … Continue reading Twenty Performances, or Tick, Tick… Nom!
Top Ten Movies of 2021 — Number One
A middle-aged person who’s thoroughly accustomed to their life of relative solitude is called upon, briefly or maybe for an indeterminate period of time, to caretake a child. That’s the animating premise of countless movies, and it is the basic … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2021 — Number One
Top Ten Movies of 2021 — Number Two
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson could have made a straightforward concert film with the footage he was given, and the finished product could have still been one of the highlights of the cinematic year. With hours upon hours of footage from the … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2021 — Number Two
Now Playing — X
Writer-director Ti West has a clear, abiding affection for bygone eras when certain film genres were afforded the space to exist in their own dark ecosystem. He is an expert explicator of templates and tropes, slyly operating on the borderline … Continue reading Now Playing — X
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #221 to #219
221. UB40, Labour of Love (1983) “The area we all come from is a slum — southeast Birmingham,” UB40 guitarist Robin Campbell told Spin in 1985. “The farther out you get from the city, the nicer it gets. But towards … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #221 to #219
Outside Reading — Unsaid edition
I Know What It’s Like to Be a Florida Teen Who Can’t Say Gay. I Was One by Kristen Arnett This is an entirely appropriate response to the hideous, hateful Florida law that effectively bars the acknowledgement of anyone who … Continue reading Outside Reading — Unsaid edition
This Week’s Model — MUNA, “Anything But Me”
Following up last year’s splendid attention-getter “Silk Chiffon” is no small task. MUNA is up to it, though. On the trio’s new single, “Anything But Me,” they tap into that sweet vein of Haimian pop, all eighties-sunshine gleam. It’s a … Continue reading This Week’s Model — MUNA, “Anything But Me”
Then Playing — Man on a Tightrope; Take a Giant Step; Witness to Murder
Man on a Tightrope (Elia Kazan, 1953). The oddity from Elia Kazan takes place in Czechoslovakia and follows a circus operator (Fredric March) who chafes against the oppressive Communist government that nationalized his traveling troupe. With a few similarly disgruntled … Continue reading Then Playing — Man on a Tightrope; Take a Giant Step; Witness to Murder
Top Ten Movies of 2021 — Number Three
In its storytelling particulars, Shiva Baby is tightly contained and rendered with exquisite efficiency. Most of the film takes place among the grieving noshers at a shiva, where college student Danielle (Rachel Sennott) twists and cringes as a fleet of … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2021 — Number Three
Then Playing — Rafiki; Cash on Demand; Westworld
Rafiki (Wanuri Kahiu, 2018). This brisk, bright coming-of-age film takes place in Kenya, where its central same-sex romance is technically against the law. Kena (Samantha Mugatsia) is a withdrawn girl who is struck by the lively exuberance of Ziki (Sheila … Continue reading Then Playing — Rafiki; Cash on Demand; Westworld
