Review: Natalie Morales’ ‘Plan B’
“‘Plan B’ is a rare bird in that it gets better as it goes along. So many movies in the teensploitation tradition start strong and quickly run out of gas.”
Greg Carlson
Review: Jessie Barr’s ‘Sophie Jones’
“Those who have faced tremendous or even overwhelming emotional hurricanes following the death of a close friend or family member will appreciate the movement of time in ‘Sophie Jones.'”
Interview: Janet Brandau on ‘Sadie Breaks the Silents’
‘Sadie Breaks the Silents’ Interview: Greg Carlson and Janet Brandau discuss the final movie by the late Tom Brandau.
Review: Sian Heder’s ‘CODA’
“Even though the comic juxtapositions can be as broad as the side of a barn in ‘CODA,’ the familial conflicts on the flip side of the coin resonate with hard truths.”
Review: Vivian Kleiman’s ‘No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics’
“One of the most enjoyable aspects of ‘No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics’ is evident again and again in the close-knit support shared among the ‘elder statespeople.'”
Collecting Movies with Conor Holt
Greg Carlson Interviews Conor Holt About Movie Collecting
Emma Seligman’s ‘Shiva Baby’ and the Art of Comic Discomfort
“‘Shiva Baby’ is most certainly not a movie for those who get clammy and start to sweat at secondhand embarrassment.”
Review: Cate Shortland’s ‘Black Widow’
“Shortland brings her keen feature filmmaking chops to ‘Black Widow’ as a welcome addition to the talented pool of storytellers who can match the Kevin Feige house style without any significant artistic compromise.”
Janicza Bravo Takes ‘Zola’ on the Road
“‘Zola’ is a star-making opportunity that Paige owns with every raised eyebrow and skeptical look.”
Review: Questlove’s ‘Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)’
“Questlove assembles the wide range of elements with the skill of a seasoned scholar and practitioner, blending songs with memories in a master mix made especially challenging given the staggering amount of talent and the desire to tell the accompanying story.”
Review: Mariem Pérez Riera’s ‘Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It’
“With ‘Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It,’ Pérez Riera strikes the right balance of ‘then-and-now’ throughout the fast-moving, 90-minute running time.”
Review: Edgar Wright’s ‘The Sparks Brothers’
“Built to impress longtime listeners and new ears alike, Wright’s love letter to Ron and Russell Mael complements the sensibilities of the masterminds behind glories like ‘Kimono My House’ and ‘Angst in My Pants.'”
Prano Bailey-Bond Visits Britain’s Video Nasty Era in ‘Censor’
“Had ‘Censor’ managed both Enid’s personal nightmare and wrestled more deliberately with some of the moral questions posed by the title, more viewers might have been inclined to initiate conversations about the horror genre’s traditions of transgression.”
Theo Anthony’s ‘All Light, Everywhere’ Contemplates the Role of the Camera in Policing
“‘All Light, Everywhere’ succeeds on the basis of Anthony’s editorial choices; the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, which by themselves constitute several chapters or mini-documentaries capable of dropping one’s jaw.”
Collecting Movies with Author Melissa Maerz
Greg Carlson Interviews ‘Alright, Alright, Alright’ Author Melissa Maerz About Movie Collecting
Rose Glass Makes a Memorable Feature Debut with ‘Saint Maud’
“Sure, ‘Saint Maud’ can be called a horror film, but it is equally a psychological drama that gets a lot of mileage from a tried and true trope: the shifting power dynamics in a superior/subordinate relationship.”
Review: Rob Garver’s ‘What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael’
“Rob Garver’s ‘What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael’ is a worthwhile biography of a fascinating life led with purpose and conviction.”
Review: Marilyn Agrelo’s ‘Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street’
“Don’t be surprised if ‘Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street’ leaves you wanting more — that’s often the mark of something special.”
Fantasy and Reality in Ben Hozie’s ‘PVT Chat’
“Hozie nails the greener-grass metaphor in ‘PVT Chat’ with a clarity that reminded me of the last lines of James Joyce’s ‘Araby.'”
Review: Samantha Stark’s ‘Framing Britney Spears’
“The best aspects of ‘Framing Britney Spears’ are implicit while the least effective parts are explicit. And in the absence of a direct commentary from Spears, Stark surely could have used more evenhanded and considerate interview subjects.”