Review: Smriti Mundhra’s Starry-Eyed ‘The Romantics’
“At a time when some of the most inventive image-making is happening in Indian documentaries, ‘The Romantics’ sticks out for its unimaginative glossiness.”
The Pervasive Injustices of ‘I May Destroy You’
“Problems do not vanish forever, so ‘I May Destroy You’ is about the constant fight. Repetition becomes revision. Paralysis becomes progress.”
‘Copenhagen Cowboy’: Something Is Rotten in Denmark
“The Danish emperor of cool has lost his clothes.”
Review: ‘The Recruit’ Season 1
“‘The Recruit’ season 1 feels like a holiday gift to loyal Centineo fans who frequently revisit ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ (2018) and its sequels.”
On ‘The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes,’ ‘Blonde’ and Fatalist Netflix Filmmaking
“A fatalist flick like ‘Blonde’ — which, importantly, is not a biopic — and serial killer documentaries like ‘The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes’ can at once be exploitative and insightful. Both things can be true.”
Making Sense of the Bullocks: Examining the Punk Unpleasantries of ‘Pistol’ and ‘Sid and Nancy’
“FX’s ‘Pistol’ stays true to the chaotic nature of the Sex Pistols and manages to sprinkle in some of that Boyle pop energy.”
Review: ‘Surviving the Cartel’ Season 1
“‘Surviving the Cartel’ season 1 looks like a mostly-assembled jigsaw puzzle. Creator Ely Bams has everything in place and yet various pieces clearly don’t connect.”
‘Better Call Saul’ and Mechanisms of Obsessional Neurosis
“‘Better Call Saul’ is ultimately an interesting case study of adjacency that points to a more sustainable prequel model that television in general might wish to use in future.”
The Volume: The Final Stage
“The old silver screens have reached their limit, and even 4K will become passé. Perhaps it’s time for Hollywood and theater chains to up the ante by investing in venues and screens similar to the Volume.”
They Know Not What They Do: The Passion of the Christ in Franco Zeffirelli’s ‘Jesus of Nazareth’
“‘Jesus of Nazareth’ is precisely a film of moments, and Zeffirelli depicts them with expert technique.”
Numbness and Arousal in the Post-Postmodern Apocalypse of ‘Too Old to Die Young’
“Taken as a whole, ‘Too Old to Die Young’ is a summative statement on genre, aesthetics and the crumbling American psyche, delivered with a fury sublimated in neon glow. It is a major work of art.”
Review: ‘Taylor Tomlinson: Look at You’
“Tomlinson doesn’t hit the trendy talking points of so many comedians her age. Instead, she figuratively peels a rotten orange in ‘Look at You’ and asks the audience what they see. The damage is evident, and yet there’s still beauty in the bright color that remains.”
Review: W. Kamau Bell’s ‘We Need to Talk About Cosby’
“Bell is as masterful a listener as he is an interviewer, fully honoring the presence of those whose lives were changed after crossing paths with Cosby.”
The Slow Train Home
“I’m thankful to Stevens for her ‘unsnobbish enthusiasm’ in ‘Camera Man,’ just as I’m thankful to Patrick Somerville and his ‘Station Eleven’ co-writers for their story about second chances and art therapy.”
Must Write a Happy Ending: The Posthumous Dennis Potter
“Dennis Potter left us with one of the most ambitious and meaningful pieces of British television, bridging commercial and public broadcasting to address the state of the nation and the fate of the artist with his customary irreverence and accessibility.”
The Kendall-Shiv Opposition in ‘Succession’ Season 3
“The tension between spectator empathy and necessary critical distance are at the heart of Succession’s mixing pot of antiheroism and amorality, which is all that’s left when its humanism is squandered and its morally redemptive potential falls short.”
‘The Five Juanas’ Season 2: What Happens Next for Matilde
The Five Juanas Season 2: Here’s what Vague Visages’ ‘La Venganza de las Juanas’ expert predicts for Matilde (Juanita Arias) in new episodes.
‘The Five Juanas’ Season 2: What Happens Next for Valentina
The Five Juanas Season 2: Vague Visages’ La Venganza de las Juanas expert, Q.V. Hough, on what happens next for Valentina (Renata Notni).
‘Saturday Night Live’ Review: ‘Owen Wilson/Kacey Musgraves’
“Michael Che talks trash from a desk (and on his Instagram stories), but who’s going to challenge the audience from the main stage with some weird, wild stuff?”
Netflix Review: ‘Godzilla Singular Point’ Season 1
“Previous incarnations of Godzilla worked best by implanting ideas that were tangible. However, in the world of ‘Godzilla Singular Point,’ the ideas prove to be non-existent, as do the inhabitants.”