Category: Films

Film Review: “Poor Things”

Poor Things dives headfirst into a strange, beautiful, and horny world

Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos has divided audiences as long as he’s been making movies. To help you resurface some opinionated rage and confusion, or delight,  his films include Dogtooth, The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and The Favourite. His films bend surrealism together with absurdism, glittered with idiosyncratic dialogue and characters. They also don’t shy away from weirdness and sex, or weird sex, even. Lanthimos implores you to face brutal honesty and vulnerability, and Poor Things is no different. Cradled within a vibrantly designed world in which to explore themes of sexual freedom and liberation, Poor Things is a masterpiece of creative ambitions.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Poor Things””

Film Review: “Wish”

Wish is Disney’s confusing ode to itself

Remember Peter Pan? Remember Snow White? Do you remember them, they’re on Disney+ right now! These half-hearted, frantic, nostalgic questions, and brand reminders, seem to be at the heart of Disney’s new animated film, Wish, which bears the weight of Disney’s 100th anniversary celebration. Borrowing the beautiful simplicity of Disney’s most iconic song, “When You Wish Upon A Star,” Wish twists the song’s message into a convoluted plot with forgettable characters. The film is a new fairytale that catchy tunes and pretty animation can’t rescue.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Wish””

Film Review: “Napoleon”

A few odd choices can’t keep Napoleon from conquering the screen

Sir Ridley Scott, the legendary director of Blade Runner, Alien, and Gladiator, is eighty-five. In an impressive stretch for his age (or any age) and profession, he has directed eight feature films in the last decade, with Gladiator 2 slated for next year. Who can blame Scott for working so prolifically — he loves making movies! It’s a treat to have a talented filmmaker churn out a steady flow of films, covering a wide range of genres. His latest, Napoleon, adds another historical epic to his filmography. Despite a few off-kilter artistic choices, Napoleon is an astounding visual achievement, a throwback Hollywood epic that only a few directors, like Scott, can still deliver.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Napoleon””

Film Review: “The Holdovers”

The Holdovers is a comical, instantly rewatchable holiday treat

Filmmakers who take big swings deserve appreciation for taking the risk, even if the swing results in a miss. Director Alexander Payne (Nebraska) took such a swing six years ago with Downsizing, a polarizing if not much-maligned film. Thus, it was refreshing to hear the promising news that Payne was reuniting with his Sideways star, Paul Giamatti, for a new dramedy. The Holdovers is as sad, clever, and intelligent as the best of Payne’s work, but with a surprising lighthearted touch that places it firmly amidst some of the most classic holiday films, and amongst the filmmaker’s best work. Continue reading “Film Review: “The Holdovers””

Film Review: “What Happens Later”

When Meg imitated Nora: Ryan’s rom-com falls flat

Bill (David Duchovny) runs into his college girlfriend Willa (Meg Ryan) while traveling on business.

Meg Ryan, star of such classic Nora Ephron-penned rom-coms as When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, and Sleepless in Seattle, tries her hand at directing, co-writing, and starring in her own rom-com, and the results are disastrous. What this picture is is debatable, but one thing’s for sure: it’s neither rom nor com. The fact that Ryan dedicates the film to the late great Ephron only serves as a reminder of those halcyon days of far better Ephron-Ryan helmed vehicles. 

Continue reading “Film Review: “What Happens Later””

Film Review: “Priscilla”

Coppola operates with tender precision in Priscilla

When considering last year’s Baz Luhrmann film Elvis (if you will humor me for a moment), it’s a challenge to identify a more tonal antithesis than Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla. Where Elvis is noisy and energetic, Priscilla is quiet and mellow. Where Elvis is over-the-top and wide-reaching, Priscilla is narrow and understated. They are two vastly different films focused on two vastly different characters. Priscilla, though, is the better film. The comparisons are inevitable, despite their distinct objectives. Priscilla represents a delicate portrayal of Priscilla Presley’s experience with Elvis, from meetup to breakup, almost exclusively from her point of view. Continue reading “Film Review: “Priscilla””

Film Review: “Five Nights at Freddy’s”

Grin and Fazbear it: Frightfully fun feature fares fine

Abby (Piper Rubio) gazes upon some potential new friends at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. 

If you’re looking to take the family out for a Halloween movie this week, you could do worse than Five Nights at Freddy’s. It’s rated PG-13, which already makes it more kid- friendly than most R-rated Halloween fare. The rating no doubt was purposeful, so as to allow legions of young fans access: the film is based on a hugely popular video game of the same name. I’ve never played the game, so I may not be the film’s target audience, but as a lightweight horror movie, it’s amusing enough for a mixed audience of game fans, non-fans, kids and adults. The scares are mostly fun, the gore level is mostly low, and the plot is mostly silly.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Five Nights at Freddy’s””

Film Review: “The Persian Version”

The Persian Version brims with undeniable filmmaker and character charisma

Culture clashes often make for compelling cinema, usually dramatic, routinely funny, and occasionally timely. And when a single character can inhibit both sides of the culture clash, the results can have more resonant meaning. The Persian Version, an indie dramedy from writer/director Maryam Keshavarz, contains such a character — representing a timely and bold exploration of the Iranian-American experience. It’s commendable that The Persian Version doesn’t feel like a studio comedy. It’s full of stylistic flare, unlikely story threads, and vibrant music, embracing the creative freedom that pulsates at the heart of its central characters.

Continue reading “Film Review: “The Persian Version””

Film Review: “Beyond Utopia”

Beyond Utopia is documentary filmmaking at its most thrilling and courageous, an essential viewing

Many of the best documentaries are ones that reach behind the scenes, peering into forbidden corners of society, and often the very existence of their footage pose risks to the filmmakers and their subjects. These influential films beg the question, how did they capture that?! It must have been extremely dangerous! The unfortunate reality is that the subject matters that require the most extreme precautions are also the ones that are most in need of public exposure. This is the case for Beyond Utopia, a new documentary that shows the real trials and tribulations of fleeing North Korea in unprecedented footage.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Beyond Utopia””

Film Review: “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Best reasons to see Scorsese’s new picture? De Niro, DiCaprio, and Gladstone

Ernest (Leonardo DiCaprio) shares a moment with his wife Mollie (Lily Gladstone).

Much has been made of the length of director Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which clocks in at three hours and 26 minutes. But give the guy some credit: his previous film, 2019’s much lauded The Irishman, ran three hours and 29 minutes. So he’s heard you, and has let you out of your seat a full three minutes earlier this time. What a guy! But seriously–while a few scenes do feel like they could be trimmed, others you’ll wish you could dwell in longer. For the most part, then, the run time becomes a non-issue. The story is so well told that you’ll remain fully engaged throughout the majority of this sobering but absorbing picture.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Killers of the Flower Moon””