THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS
The movie wraps up with “The Mortal Remains,” a stagecoach ride to end all stagecoach rides. Five passengers (played by…
Film Reviews
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
“Bohemian Rhapsody” achieves its dramatic goal of celebrating the unforgettable music of a groundbreaking rock band whose omnisexual lead singer…
GREEN BOOK
“Green Book” excels as a white/black bromance crafted to fit release at the start of the holiday season. Not every…
OPHELIA
Although hindered by a lack of variety in its pacing, this fragrant imagining of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” as lived through the…
THE SONG OF SWAY LAKE
Notable for being Elizabeth Peña’s last film before the actress’s untimely death in 2014, “The Song of Sway Lake” is…
FREE SOLO
Alex Honnold carries the spirit if a samurai warrior with him. Hearing him describe the grips, holds, and complex maneuvers…
BLINDSPOTTING
“Blindspotting” carries the burden of associating itself with Danny Boyle’s 1996 mind-blower “Trainspotting.” The slang term blindspotting refers to “a…
BlacKkKLansman
Spike Lee’s latest failure “BlacKkKLansman” is all the more disappointing for its squandered potential bite as a satirical take on…
NICO 1988
Ultimately, “Nico 1988” fails because it never convinces the audience as to why we should empathize with this brutal person.…
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — FALLOUT
“Mission: Impossible” is the closest thing Hollywood has to a James Bond franchise it’s got going, and going it is.…
AMERICAN ANIMALS
This ad-free website is dedicated to Agnès Varda and to Luis Buñuel. Get cool rewards when you click on the…
SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO
Agitprop, Corporate Corruption, Film Reviews, ONE STAR, Political Thriller, Politics, Video Essay, War
Miguel, a start-up teen gangster (played by Elijah Rodriguez) is looking to come up fast in the local cartel when…
FIRST REFORMED — CLASSIC FILM PICK
As Thomas Wolf pointed out in his essay, Christ’s primary teaching was that “loneliness could be destroyed forever by the…
OH, RICK!
The coolest comic you’ve [probably] not heard of, Rick Crom is a comic legend among stand-up comics. The Chicago-born stand-up…
THE DEVIL AND FATHER AMORTH
William Friedkin’s audio-enhanced documentary about an actual exorcism is a lukewarm flop. At just 68 minutes long, “The Devil and…
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE — CANNES 2017
If only I had never really seen this atrocity of a movie I’d feel much better. That does it; I’m…
A QUIET PLACE
Don’t believe the hype. “A Quiet Place” is a plot-hole filled waste of time. Scary? Not even close. All respect…
LAST TANGO IN PARIS
Born of one of Bernardo Bertolucci’s fantasies about carrying on a purely sexual affair with a complete stranger, Marlon Brando’s…
MANDERLAY — CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
African American Cinema, Agitprop, Art House, Cannes Film Festival, Classic Cinema, Dogma 95, Drama, Film Reviews, FIVE STARS
Lars von Trier’s second installment in his Brechtian trilogy of American culture stays true to the stage bound theatrical setting…
PORTRAIT OF JASON — CLASSIC FILM PICK
African American Cinema, Black Cinema, cinéma vérité, Classic Cinema, Film Reviews, FilmStruck, FIVE STARS, LGBTQ, Women Filmmakers
Shirley Clarke’s 1967 cinéma vérité masterpiece remains a scathing social and character study of race in America for the enigmatic…
COLE SMITHEY’S CLASSIC CINEMA
