‘Napoleon Dynamite’ Turns 15: An Interview with Actor Efren Ramirez
Greg Carlson Interviews ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ Actor Efren Ramirez
Greg Carlson
Sundance 2019 Review: A.J. Eaton’s ‘David Crosby: Remember My Name’
“‘Director A.J. Eaton’s rock star biography ‘David Crosby: Remember My Name’ checks all the boxes of the lion-in-winter music documentary.”
Horns Up for Penny Lane’s ‘Hail Satan?’
“As a movie experience, ‘Hail Satan?’ often lives deliciously.”
Review: Morgan Neville’s ‘They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead’
“Its vibrating self-awareness, unwieldy traveling circus vibe and mind-bending movie-within-a-movie duality allow Welles to simultaneously mock and indulge in the critically celebrated, sexually-charged, Antonioni-style, European art film.”
Sandi Tan’s ‘Shirkers’ Is an Indie Filmmaking Dream Deferred
“How many movies have been lost or nearly lost to circumstances before a public release can provide closure for the anxious and expectant filmmaker?”
Two Hearts: The Love and Loss of Pawel Pawlikowski’s ‘Cold War’
“Another stunning work of perfectly placed ellipses and calculated restraint, Pawel Pawlikowski’s ‘Cold War’ is a film filled with images as iconic and austere as its blunt title.”
‘On the Basis of Sex’: Mimi Leder Looks at Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Early Work
“The biopic-wary should applaud ‘On the Basis of Sex’ for its avoidance of the temptation to cover a longer chronology of Bader Ginsburg’s life and career.”
Review: Josie Rourke’s ‘Mary Queen of Scots’
“Dramatic license is so much a given that discussions of authenticity are as damned as they are damning.”
A Heavenly Juliette Binoche ‘Lets the Sunshine In’ for Claire Denis
“The presence of Binoche in ‘Let the Sunshine In’ is a bit of brilliance that taunts and challenges the viewer; if Isabelle can’t find lasting, fulfilling tenderness and companionship, what chance do the rest of us have?”
‘Zama’: Lucrecia Martel Gets Delirious
“Liminality is the coin of Martel’s realm in ‘Zama,’ and she manages to make the excruciating uncertainty of the long pause an engrossing experience for the audience…”
Review: Jennifer Fox’s ‘The Tale’
“With ‘The Tale,’ Jennifer Fox addresses a painful subject in a straightforward and clear-eyed manner.”
Ballad of Lee Israel: Marielle Heller’s Excellent ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’
“‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’ is simultaneously suspenseful and laidback.”
‘Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood’: A Legendary Hustler Shares His Stories
“‘Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood’ presents Bowers as a credible authority, but the breadth and depth of the anecdotes leaves it all up to the viewer to accept or reject.”
House Heist: Steve McQueen’s Stylish ‘Widows’
“For many, McQueen’s stylishness will help excuse the rubbery plot holes, lapses in logic and farfetched surprises that might lead some to wonder how ‘Widows’ might have unfolded as a leaner, tighter operation.”
Danse Macabre: Luca Guadagnino Reimagines ‘Suspiria’
“Patient blood aficianados who stick with the filmmaker to the final reel will most certainly receive their crimson reward.”
‘The Old Man & the Gun’: David Lowery Directs a Robert Redford Victory Lap
“For my money, David Lowery has been as much fun to watch as any filmmaker of his generation.”
Interview With Grindflicks’ Randal Black About Fargo’s Turkish Movie Showcase
Greg Carlson Interviews Grindflicks Founder Randal Black About ‘Turkish Movie Showcase: A Mega Mix of Turkish Flix’
Jonah Hill Looks Back at the ‘Mid90s’
“‘Mid90s’ has drawn some comparisons to Harmony Korine (who makes a cameo in Hill’s film) and Larry Clark’s ‘Kids,’ but Hill’s worldview is far less toxic and dangerous than the grimmest territory explored in the 1995 movie.”
In Kubrick’s Shadow: Tony Zierra’s ‘Filmworker’
“‘Filmworker’ will be sought by Kubrick completists, but the movie also appeals to anyone who has been seduced by the process of motion picture making.”
Review: Bradley Cooper’s ‘A Star Is Born’
“Gaga’s mere presence in ‘A Star Is Born’ allows Cooper a wide berth to go big with scenes and moments that play with and embrace camp.”