2024 in Review: Best Documentary Films of the Year
As I do every year, I separate documentaries into their own Best of the Year list, not because I feel they should be judged any differently than narrative films, but […]
Interview: Actor Ryan Destiny on Preparation and Expectations for The Fire Inside, Portraying Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields
The new docudrama The Fire Inside tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (Ryan Destiny), one of the greatest female boxers in history and the first female boxer to win […]
Essay: Todd Haynes’ Carol Is a Holiday Classic with Midwest Roots
Warning: This article contains spoilers for the film Carol (2015). Carol unfolds like a memory. The vision of 1950s America mutes and blurs the pastel colors we associate with the […]
Review: Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu Is a Dark, Tension-Filled Journey into Violent Obsession
For those keeping score, Dracula was basically the entire reason I got into horror movies specifically and then into film in general. But that Dracula (the 1931 Universal version, starring […]
Review: Cinematographer Rachel Morrison Takes the Helm for The Fire Inside, From a Superb Script by Barry Jenkins
Celebrated cinematographer turned first-time director Rachel Morrison (Black Panther, Dope, and an Oscar nomination for her work on Mudbound) brings us the inspirational true story of female boxer Claressa Shields […]
Review: Timothée Chalamet Is Exceptional in A Complete Unknown About Bob Dylan’s Early Years
The title of the skillfully made Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, is appropriate, because it traces the short road Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) took from traditional folk singer (performing mostly […]
Review: Denmark’s Oscar Contender, The Girl with the Needle Is a Moody, Gothic Post-War Chamber Piece
Denmark’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the upcoming Academy Awards (and recently shortlisted in that category), The Girl with the Needle is the latest work from director […]
Review: In its Third Installment, Sonic the Hedgehog Finds a Worthy New Villain Voiced by Keanu Reeves
I was dreading this third installment in the Sonic the Hedgehog video game adaptation franchise, so imagine my utter shock and bewilderment when I made it to the end of […]
Interview: Documentarian Joshua Oppenheimer on His Jump to Narratives with Apocalyptic Musical The End, Lyrics versus Poetry and Casting for Vulnerability
The End marks the narrative film directing debut from Oscar-nominated documentarian Joshua Oppenheimer, whose one-two punch was 2012’s The Act of Killing and 2014’s The Look of Silence. The former […]
Review: At 78, Filmmaker Paul Schrader Confronts the Past, the Truth and More in Compelling and Complicated Oh, Canada
At the age of 78, writer/director Paul Schrader is on a bit of a run with films like First Reformed, The Card Counter, Master Gardener, and now Oh, Canada (based […]
Review: Lord of the Rings Gets the Anime Treatment in The War of Rohirrim, with Plenty for Die-Hards to Appreciate
Beyond having read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I don’t know much about the stories of what came before or after J.R.R. Tolkien’s most famous works. […]
Review: The Spider-Verse Slogs On with Another Villain Story in the Mostly Backstory Actioner Kraven the Hunter
If the rumors are true (and maybe they aren’t even rumors at this point) and Sony is truly done making these nonsense, periphery Spider-Man-universe films (minus actual appearances from Spider-Man), […]