Nightmare Alley (Guillermo del Toro, 2021). Director Guillermo del Toro brings characteristic visual panache and gleeful excitement over the most lurid doings to this adaptation of a 1946 William Lindsay Gresham novel that was previously brought to the screen not … Continue reading Then Playing — Nightmare Alley; Moonstruck; Greenland
Those Who Wish Me Dead (Taylor Sheridan, 2021). Taylor Sheridan’s second feature as a director builds on his oeuvre of Mountain West thrillers. In Those Who Wish Me Dead, Angelina Jolie plays Hannah Faber, a plays-by-her-own-rules somkejumper who’s been given … Continue reading Then Playing — Those Who Wish Me Dead; The Hunt; Repast
O Ébrio (Gilda de Abreu, 1946). This Brazilian film, the directorial debut of Gilda de Abreu, was a smash hit on its home turf at the time of its release. The film follows the shifting fortunes of Gilberto (Vicente Celestino), who … Continue reading Then Playing — O Ebrio; Jeanne Eagels; Let Them All Talk
Krane’s Confectionery (Astrid Henning-Jensen, 1951). Writer-director Astrid Henning-Jensen convincingly conveys the numbing misery of a provincial seamstress (Rønnaug Alten) who’s relied upon and disrespected by nearly everyone in her personal sphere, including her terminally ungrateful teenaged children (Toralv Maurstad and … Continue reading Then Playing — Krane’s Confectionery; Freaky; The Bride Came C.O.D.
Lucy in the Sky (Noah Hawley, 2019). I think Noah Hawley has presided over some dandy television in recent years, and it makes sense that he’d bring his squirrely urges for narrative and format tinkering to his feature directorial debut. … Continue reading Then Playing — Lucy in the Sky; Married Before Breakfast; Bill & Ted Face the Music
Au Revoir, Les Enfants (Louis Malle, 1987). After more than a decade making English-language films, director Louis Malle returned to his homeland for this affecting drama set in a French boarding school during World War II. The autobiographical film, which … Continue reading Then Playing — Au Revoir, Les Enfants; Shithouse; Araya
I remember going to the theater for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, the feature film debut of Guy Ritchie. Its U.S. release was in the spring of 1999, when indie-inclined screens were still wallpapered with all manner of gruff, … Continue reading The Unwatchables — The Gentlemen
Pieces of a Woman (Kornél Mundruczó, 2020). Pieces of Woman is meant to be a real gut punch of drama. It depicts the repercussions on a marriage when a home birth ends in tragedy. Martha (Vanessa Kirby) is Martha, a … Continue reading Then Playing — Pieces of a Woman; 9to5: The Story of a Movement; The Witches of the Orient
Belushi (R.J. Cutler, 2020). This documentary about the short life of John Belushi makes a valiant effort at capturing his boisterous charisms and fiery comic genius. Director R.J. Cutler relies on audio of interviews Tanner Colby conducted for a biography … Continue reading Then Playing — Belushi; The Father; The Man Who Knew Too Much
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Jason Wollner, 2020). Notably stronger than its predecessor from fourteen years earlier, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm returns the title Kazakh journalist (Sacha Baron Cohen) to the good ol’ Land of the Free. Borat’s stated mission is to put … Continue reading Then Playing — Borat Subsequent Moviefilm; Another Round; Hillbilly Elegy
Coffee for Two 