Then Playing — Clerks; Louder Than Bombs; Sorry, Baby
Reviews of films directed by Kevin Smith, Joachim Trier, and Eva Victor Continue reading Then Playing — Clerks; Louder Than Bombs; Sorry, Baby
Tag: 2015 movies
Then Playing — High-Rise; Daughters of the Dust; The Sign of the Ram
High-Rise (Ben Wheatley, 2015). I have only a passing familiarity with the writing of J.G. Ballard, but I suspect his brand of dystopian social satire is best left on the page. That conclusion is fortified by High-Rise, director Ben Wheatley’s … Continue reading Then Playing — High-Rise; Daughters of the Dust; The Sign of the Ram
Then Playing — Je Tu Il Elle; Dark Places; The Decline of Western Civilization
Je Tu Il Elle (Chantal Akerman, 1974). Esoteric and aloof, Chantal Akerman’s early feature is exactly what I thought all French cinema was like until I actually, you know, watched some of it. Je Tu Il Elle is almost amusing … Continue reading Then Playing — Je Tu Il Elle; Dark Places; The Decline of Western Civilization
Then Playing — 45 Years; Walking and Talking; Losing Ground
45 Years (Andrew Haigh, 2015). Andrew Haigh’s wise, serious-minded film is like one of those New Yorker short stories that grows grimmer by the paragraph as it details internalized heartbreak. I typed out that sentence right before my background research … Continue reading Then Playing — 45 Years; Walking and Talking; Losing Ground
Then Playing — Don’t Think Twice; Relic; Archive
Don’t Think Twice (Mike Birbiglia, 2016). This rueful comedy follows a modestly successful improv group that starts buckling when one member (Keegan-Michael Key) get his big break through being cast on a national television show akin to Saturday Night Live. … Continue reading Then Playing — Don’t Think Twice; Relic; Archive
Playing Catch-Up — Aquaman; Dolemite Is My Name; Green Room
Aquaman (James Wan, 2018). The relatively cinematic merits, or lack thereof, of Marvel Studios’ blockbuster epics has been a mostly mortifying public debate in recent weeks, evidently requiring every director of note to weigh in. While the fact that Martin … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — Aquaman; Dolemite Is My Name; Green Room
Playing Catch-Up — Bad Company; Abacus: Small Enough to Jail; Son of Saul
Bad Company (Robert Benton, 1972). A relatively obscure entry in the legion of films from the late-nineteen-sixties and early-nineteen-seventies that sought to strip away the romanticizing so entrenched in the Western genre. A young man named Drew (Barry Brown) flees … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — Bad Company; Abacus: Small Enough to Jail; Son of Saul
Playing Catch-Up — Cop Car; The Predator; The Case Against 8
Cop Car (Jon Watts, 2015). Like the product of a mysterious third Coen brother who got some of Steven Spielberg’s DNA spliced into him in utero, Cop Car begins with a simple premise, predicated on the wonderstruck and impulsive decision … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — Cop Car; The Predator; The Case Against 8
Playing Catch-Up — Z for Zachariah; These Wilder Years; The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Z for Zachariah (Craig Zobel, 2015). Based on a Robert C. O’Brien science fiction novel published in the nineteen-seventies, Z for Zachariah takes a somber approach to post-apocalyptic storytelling. Ann Burden (Margot Robbie) is living alone on a farm, maintaining … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — Z for Zachariah; These Wilder Years; The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Playing Catch-Up — An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn; Straight Outta Compton; Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool
An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn (Jim Hosking, 2018). I’m sure there’s an easier, more lucrative career path to follow than the road chosen by Aubrey Plaza since the end of Parks and Recreation, which makes her spirited commitment to … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn; Straight Outta Compton; Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool
Coffee for Two 