The Lighthouse (Robert Eggers, 2019)
Couldn't finish it; made it just over an hour in.
In a discussion on Twitter, a number of folks w...
2020-01-26 23:18:23 +0000 UTC View Post
msicism posts
Frankie (Ira Sachs, 2019)
Whether by design or simply lackluster writing and directing, Ira Sachs' latest film demonstrates how p...
2020-01-25 03:32:18 +0000 UTC View PostSorry We Missed You (Ken Loach, 2019)
What exactly are Ken Loach's films for? I don't pose this question as a dismissal, because I actually a...
2020-01-23 22:25:44 +0000 UTC View PostIn Fabric (Peter Strickland, 2018)
I feel a bit like Jason Bateman in that scene from Arrested Development when he opens the bag ...
2020-01-16 01:32:28 +0000 UTC View PostWell All Right, Okay, You Win!
So yes, I got the message! Thanks for voting.
I will be viewing (in order), In Fabric, <...
2020-01-13 05:08:12 +0000 UTC View PostClosing the Book on 2019
Of course I will still be catching up on 2019 films being released in 2020, and undistributed films tha...
2020-01-11 07:39:15 +0000 UTC View PostPortrait of a Lady on Fire (Céline Sciamma, 2019)
It's really just a sort of lesbian Merchant-Ivory effort, and that's fine.
2020-01-10 04:15:45 +0000 UTC View PostPaddling Their Own Canoes
Little Women (Greta Gerwig, 2019)
I have to give Gerwig credit. I would not nece...
2020-01-10 03:45:56 +0000 UTC View PostA Hidden Life (Terrence Malick, 2019)
Terrence Malick has always been a more spiritual filmmaker than a political one, but changing times bri...
2020-01-09 17:13:27 +0000 UTC View PostEnd-of-the-Year Ketchup
I had to watch a lot of films in a short amount of time, and not all of them stuck in my memory in any profound way. Some of them don't really merit a full review, and need to just be dealt with. M...
2020-01-05 04:30:13 +0000 UTC View PostVitalina Varela (Pedro Costa, 2019)
Quite possibly the film least amenable to watching on a screener, particularly during the year...
2019-12-31 00:30:55 +0000 UTC View PostPlasticity of Forms
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn, 2...
2019-12-30 23:39:28 +0000 UTC View PostJoan of Arc (Bruno Dumont, 2019)
The story of Joan of Arc is a standard of the repertoire, the French cinema equivalent of Beethoven's N...
2019-12-27 21:06:18 +0000 UTC View PostStrict Machines
For year-end consideration, a couple of films that are built to do a particular job, and do it quite well. They are not especially resonant, in part because their subtext is installed right into th...
2019-12-26 20:36:09 +0000 UTC View PostBacurau (Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles, 2019)
A relentlessly "interesting" film, Bacurau is a bit of a disappointment nevertheless. Mendonç...
2019-12-23 20:29:47 +0000 UTC View PostTwitter: the ban is permanent.
I am not sure what would be worse: thinking that no human actually reviewed my appeal, and that this is...
2019-12-23 00:05:41 +0000 UTC View PostFire Will Come (Oliver Laxe, 2019)
Do I need to hand in my Cinephile Card? I found Fire Will Come to be the single most pointless...
2019-12-22 03:41:05 +0000 UTC View PostTwo from Cannes: Mezzo-Mezzo
It Must Be Heaven (Elia Suleiman, 2019)
In this corner, a film I didn't like qui...
2019-12-21 20:22:15 +0000 UTC View PostThank you, and blessed be.
As Christmas and Hannukah approach, I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for your support...
2019-12-21 19:24:32 +0000 UTC View PostI Heard You, The Irishman, Paint Houses (Martin Scorsese, 2019)
An irreproachable effort, really. I found the film engaging, if not captivating, from start to finish, ...
2019-12-20 17:14:24 +0000 UTC View PostAd Astra (James Gray, 2019)
A few months ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing 2019-12-20 05:26:41 +0000 UTC View Post
Queen & Slim (Melina Matsoukas, 2019)
"Isn't this kind of a black Thelma & Louise?" my wife Jen asked as we were about halfway t...
2019-12-17 23:43:38 +0000 UTC View PostMy Twitter Has Been Suspended, Maybe Permanently.
According to the email I received, my account was suspended for hate speech. Yeah. Sure. Makes sense. 2019-12-16 23:45:17 +0000 UTC View Post
Dark Waters (Todd Haynes, 2019)
In certain respects, Dark Waters occupies the place in Todd Haynes' filmography that something...
2019-12-15 19:10:36 +0000 UTC View PostOnce Upon a Time...in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino, 2019)
I have to say, I'm pleased to have missed out on The Discourse on this one. It was partly accidental, b...
2019-12-13 23:44:00 +0000 UTC View PostLittle Joe (Jessica Hausner, 2019)
From its Cannes debut right up to its current U.S. commercial release, Jessica Hausner's English-langua...
2019-12-12 12:03:57 +0000 UTC View PostFootprints: a Christmas Message
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed acros...
2019-12-07 16:14:50 +0000 UTC View PostDaddy Issues
Trouble (Mariah Garnett, 2019)
The feature debut from experimental filmmaker Mar...
2019-12-04 21:31:44 +0000 UTC View PostWaves (Trey Edward Shults, 2019)
It's only fitting, I suppose, that I am stuck illustrating my review with the "official" stills that A2...
2019-12-04 04:59:50 +0000 UTC View PostI am that man.
A man goes to the movies. A critic must be honest enough to admit he is that man.
&n...
2019-11-29 02:23:22 +0000 UTC View Post