Documentaries can introduce us to a person we’ve never heard of and leave us baffled as to how long we’ve gone without them in our lives. Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins is one of such films. Continue reading ‘Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins’ is an Enjoyable and Engaging Journey
[Editors note: this review contains spoilers for The Mandalorian] As soon as the episode title was revealed to be ‘The Tragedy’ I knew we were in trouble. It’s a sign of how invested I am in the show that I can get emotionally unsettled by a mere title drop, but here we are. New Star Wars content began to roll out again when I was … Continue reading ‘The Mandalorian’ S2E6 Review: NO!
We start this off with an image that we will come back to a few times. It is of Allison (Aubrey Plaza) in a one piece, red bathing suit. She gets up and walks into the cabin behind her, going up to a room where she has a journal on the table. The movie is then told in two different chapters. The first one is … Continue reading ‘Black Bear’ May Stand as the Most Ambitious Film of the Year
David Fincher is probably one of Hollywood’s finest misanthropes. From Fight Club to The Social Network, his cinematic offerings are full of moody settings and contemptuous characters often sucked in and spat out by a world that revels in their suffering. Any attempts to chance their hell of a world for the better often end up dooming it. So how to explain Mank? Fincher’s 11th … Continue reading ‘Mank’: The Black Magic of the Movies
For director Lee Isaac Chung, creating Minari was a process of excavation. It opens and closes with memories from Chung’s childhood: beginning with the family’s first sight of their new home in Arkansas and ending with the grandmother’s minari patch, thriving on the outskirts of their property. This oenanthe javanica plant, the film’s namesake and a herb that can grow just about anywhere according to … Continue reading ‘Minari’ is a Singular Joy
[Editors note: this review contains spoilers for The Mandalorian] I’ll get this out of the way now – I’m not calling him ‘Grogu.’ The Slice’s official position on the title of Baby Yoda will forever remain ‘Baby Yoda.’ Until the name grows on me. Which probably won’t be long. But I feel like this is a classic example of a show taking an action that … Continue reading ‘The Mandalorian’ S2 E5 Review: YEEEEESSSSS!!!!
The psychological thriller Cordelia recently gained some traction when it sparked a massive, far-reaching horny uproar on Twitter over its promotional poster, which features Johnny Flynn, who plays Frank, and Antonia Campbell-Hughes as the lead Cordelia, in a roles-reversed pose, with Campbell-Hughes pinning Flynn against a wall. Needless to say, it was pretty effective marketing. The movie itself, which is directed by Adrian Shergold, follows … Continue reading ‘Cordelia’ is a Thriller with a Missing Puzzle Piece
The Trouble with Nature is a hilarious, unique, and witty debut film from Danish director Illum Jacobi. This periodic drama follows Eighteenth Century philosopher and scholar Edmund Burke on an imagined voyage through the French Alps in search of evidence for the concept he invited and published in his 1757 book A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful. Burke was a Whig politician, an educated white man who invented the concept of the sublime, which refers to something that possess such greatness … Continue reading LIFF: ‘The Trouble with Nature’ is Clever and Humorous
The recent recipient of the Audience Award for Best Film at LFF, Another Round (Druk) marks the return of Thomas Vintenburg and Tobias Lindholm (co-writer) to the silver screen to deliver their best collaborative piece yet. It explores existentialism, identity and (you’ve guessed it) substance abuse and is being disputed as Vinterburg’s best work since Festen. This Swedish-Danish drama will be representing Denmark as their nomination for the International … Continue reading LFF 2020 – Making the Most of Moments in ‘Another Round (Druk)’
The Whaler Boy is an intimate and immersive coming of age story that follows a naive teenage boy, from a remote whaling village in Russia, on his journey to find love. At its heart, Philipp Yuryev’s debut film explores human connection, boarders, longing, and the sacrifices one will make to get what they don’t have. This simple yet entrancing film is a slow-burner that feels … Continue reading LIFF: Loneliness and Love in ‘The Whaler Boy’
[Editors note: this review contains mild spoilers for The Mandalorian] I’m lucky to have a great connection with my dad. He’s smart, kind, easy to talk to, we like a lot of the same stuff (he called me up the other night to gush about The Crown, a show I’ve been trying to get him and Mum to watch for years), etc. But, he never … Continue reading ‘The Mandalorian’ S2 E4 Review: Homecoming
It’s not often that you hear about series based off of a viral commercial. Yet, here I am talking about Ted Lasso, the new Apple TV series based off of some NBC promos to encourage Americans to watch the Premier League. No, seriously. In 2013, Jason Sudeikis travelled across the pond over to White Hart Lane (and the Spurs training grounds) to portray Ted Lasso, an American Football … Continue reading ‘Ted Lasso’ Hits The Back of The Net
