By now, we all know Judd Apatow makes long movies. With the right script, premise and actors, however, you may find yourself having a great time basking in his universe. He takes his time, allows for breathing room, and essentially makes mumblecore movies on a large scale. Call it Jumbocore. With his latest, The King... Continue Reading →
With their feature film debut, director Andrew Patterson and his co-writer Craig W. Sanger have made an idiosyncratic splash with the micro budget yet winning sci-fi mystery, The Vast Of Night. Set in 1950s small town New Mexico, the film begins with a Twilight Zone style introduction as we push in on an old fashioned... Continue Reading →
Chip Gutchell feels dead inside. An office IT drone who goes through the motions with his wife, he seems sapped of joy until one day at a scheduled prostate exam, he discovers he likes things stuck up his butt. He starts out innocently enough, inserting small objects, but when larger, breathing things go missing in... Continue Reading →
A classic satire comes along every so often to remind me, more than other film genres, that great art can come with a sucker punch to the frontal lobes. Movies such as Network, Nightcrawler, Heathers, and The Lobster remind us that when humans go bad, it’s tragic yet devastatingly entertaining. In 1999, Alexander Payne brought... Continue Reading →
As much as I liked Eliza Hittman’s last film, Beach Rats, I wrote at the time that despite having style to burn, I wasn’t convinced she had anything new to say. It came across as a Larry Clark/Terrence Malick/Andrea Arnold summit meeting. With her new film, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, she has truly found her... Continue Reading →
The beautiful thing about pop culture is that everyone has their opinions and everyone is right. I think Forrest Gump is the worst Best Picture Oscar winner of all time, whereas you may love its celebration of lowered standards! See? We’re both right! I say this to prepare you for my review of 15 Years,... Continue Reading →
By now, most people know that what gets presented on social media may often differ greatly from the harsh reality. We pose for multiple selfies until we get “the one”. We fill our feeds with fabulous vacations, scrumptious meals, breathtaking hikes, wondrous nights at the theatre, and more. Occasionally, someone may overshare about their misery... Continue Reading →
Growing up, I always had a soft spot for big budget American studio films. I subconsciously knew most lacked subtlety and sophistication, but man was it fun to watch Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase rappel down the side of a building in Foul Play or see Liza Minnelli, Gene Hackman and Burt Reynolds share the... Continue Reading →
My mother took me to my first concert when I was a young teen. Ever the stylish trailblazer, she wore a halter top, hot pants, go-go boots and a cape as she led me into a giant arena in Cleveland to see none other than Elton John. She stood and sang the whole time and... Continue Reading →
