Harris Dickinson has undoubtedly mastered onscreen sleaze. To expound would entail spoiling both Where the Crawdads Sing and Triangle of Sadness. Point is, he’s nailed the archetype, as he once again scores a devious role. Much as he’s not yet … Continue reading Mock-Empowerment: A Review of Halima Reijn’s “Babygirl”
It pays to remember that sci-fi is Bong Joon-Ho’s forte, even with Parasite still in our collective memory. In fact, it was The Host which first earned the South Korean filmmaker global attention in 2006. That, in turn, paved the … Continue reading “Mickey 17” Misunderstands Itself
Maria Callas was 53 when she died in Paris. It was a sad end to the opera legend, whose career never fell short of mystery and intrigue. Even before then, she was already destined to become a myth. Yet, outside … Continue reading Angelina Jolie Keeps “Maria” On-Key
Without reading the synopsis, some might assume it’s a musical. It’s a valid assumption, seeing how it opens with Colman Domingo hamming it up with a monologue, dressed like royalty and bathed in lights. As the curtain closes, though, we … Continue reading “Sing Sing”: A Prison Drama with Soul Soul
It missed the original’s centennial by two years, which is curious, given how development took almost a decade. Some might say Robert Eggers missed a shot at a timely release. Then again, it probably wasn’t his point. Maybe, he really … Continue reading “Nosferatu”: A Nifty Take Nine Years in the Making
It’s not that movie epics ever disappeared. It’s just that, since the turn of the century, only The Lord of the Rings franchise made a mark at more than three hours per installment. Compare that to say, 1965, when The … Continue reading Built to Endure: A Review of Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist”
The praise was never universal from the get-go, notwithstanding the initial accolades and the fact it’s now the most Oscar-nominated non-English film in history. For one, it angered the trans community, the very group it wanted to champion, by depicting … Continue reading From Acclaim to Atrocity: The Curious Trajectory of “Emilia Pérez”
When it comes to commonly-tackled subjects, there’s always the question of what sets one apart. There was never a shortage of Bob Dylan films. In fact, they’ve been churning out documentaries since the start of his fabled career. The earliest … Continue reading “A Complete Unknown”: Not Completely A Fresh Dylan Story, But Still Works
At 75, Pedro Almodóvar just keeps outdoing himself, and to think he already managed to film Parallel Mothers at the thick of COVID-19. In late 2024, he released his first book, a short story anthology entitled “The Last Dream”. The … Continue reading Mundane Mortality in “The Room Next Door”
As a filmmaker, Sean Baker always had a knack for the unthinkable. 10 years ago, he shot the entirety of Tangerine with three smartphones, a creative decision which surely raised purist eyebrows then. But, nevertheless, it was revolutionary, despite the … Continue reading Disillusioned Damsel: A Review of Sean Baker’s “Anora”
Many things in Oppenheimer can’t be absorbed upon first watch, or, for that matter, written about in first writing. Such is the Christopher Nolan Experience. It can’t be wholly captured in one go and by no means does it end … Continue reading “Oppenheimer” Review, Or: How We Learned to Stop Worrying About the Running Time and Love the Bomb
We knew this was coming. In fact, it was before it even began. Before Raiders of the Lost Ark premiered in 1981, George Lucas and Paramount Pictures had already struck a deal for five movies. So, Indiana Jones was never envisioned to be just a trilogy, even … Continue reading Whip and Whimper: A Review of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”
It’s established that Lin Manuel Miranda had a stellar 2021, from In the Heights becoming a movie to tick, tick…BOOM! marking his first foray into film directing. Behold his best shot at gold among that repertoire: Walt Disney Animation Studio‘s … Continue reading A Tale of Mixed Messages: A Review of Disney’s “Encanto”
Realistically, it takes more than 525,600 minutes to catch a break. One person who knew that well was Jonathan Larson. For years, the songwriter-playwright grappled with self-doubt, rejection, and writer’s block before finally scoring with Rent, a Gen-X update of … Continue reading Exultation in Chasing Time: A Review of “tick, tick…BOOM!”
The idea was to bring back the Universal Classic Monsters. To be exact: reintroduce the landmark horror series to a contemporary audience by creating an updated cinematic universe. Think MCU or DCEU, but with spooks. And, why not? The original … Continue reading “The Invisible Man”: A potent feminist update
Sonic the Hedgehog D: Jeff Fowler S: Ben Schwartz (voice), James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Tika Sumpter Even when Sega’s flagship series was in its heyday, a movie adaptation was already in the pipeline. But when the teaser for Sonic the … Continue reading Sonic Outruns Initial Backlash
D: Stephen Gaghan S: Robert Downey Jr., Antonio Banderas, Jessie Buckley If animals could talk to producers, they’d probably gripe. Why even give Hugh Lofting’s beloved vet the big screen treatment again? None of the previous outings ever worked. There’s … Continue reading “Dullittle” is more like it.
Planet Chuckie 