Review: Chloé Zhao’s ‘Nomadland’
“One of the great pleasures of ‘Nomadland’ is the consistently shrewd and perceptive manner in which Fern’s hidden depths and flinty pragmatics defy expectations.”
This category is a Vague Visages archive for movie, TV and music content from the 2020s.
About Vague Visages:
Mission: Vague Visages aims to publish high-quality writing about world cinema and culture. The site maintains a balance of indie and mainstream coverage, allowing for a unique blend of perspectives.
Origins: Inspired by the cinema movement known as La Nouvelle Vague, Q.V. Hough created an image-based blog called “Faces of the French New Wave” in 2014. For a creative twist, the site’s name quickly changed to “Vague Visages” (aka Wave Faces) in honor of French New Wave filmmakers and American indie filmmaker John Cassavetes (director of the 1968 film Faces).
Shift to Film Criticism: Q.V. moved Vague Visages from Blogger to WordPress in late 2014, using the French publication Cahiers du cinéma as a thematic model.
About Q.V. Hough:
Q.V. (Quinn) Hough is Vague Visages’ founding editor and a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic. After graduating from Concordia College (Moorhead, Minnesota) in 2004 with degrees in Communication-Mass Media, History and Classical Studies, he lived in Hollywood, California from 2006 to 2012. Q.V. worked closely with ABC On-Air Promotions as the production manager for LUSSIER. He previously co-hosted Concordia On-Air for three semesters before moving to Los Angeles.
In 2014, Q.V. founded Vague Visages. While developing the site, he wrote 600 video scripts and one e-book for WatchMojo (2014-17), along with 2,000 articles for Screen Rant (2018-21). Q.V. has also written for RogerEbert.com, Fandor and Crooked Marquee. He committed to Vague Visages full-time in August 2021.
E-Mail: qvh@vaguevisages.com
Twitter: @QVHough
Instagram: @QVHough
LinkedIn: @QVHough
“One of the great pleasures of ‘Nomadland’ is the consistently shrewd and perceptive manner in which Fern’s hidden depths and flinty pragmatics defy expectations.”
“‘Panda Bear It’ suggests plenty about the human condition without the need to bog itself down with exposition or endless, energy-sapping ruminations.”
Dipankar Sarkar Interviews ‘Kaali Khuhi’ Director Terrie Samundra
“It’s the sardonic, versatile Plaza performance that saves Levine’s ‘Black Bear.'”
“Fennell’s uproariously funny film showcases a powerhouse Carey Mulligan in what could very well be her career-best performance.”
“‘Another Round’ is a high-concept character piece that dips its toes into national themes, but never long enough to put off the international market it’s clearly geared towards.”
“‘Funny Boy’ may seem groundbreaking on paper, but there’s nothing particularly original about this overly familiar and largely reductive adaptation of an acclaimed novel.”
“How wonderful it is to watch a film in 2020 that displays style and true enthusiasm for the art of movie-making.”
“There’s a timelessness to ‘The Bloodhound’ that puts it on a par with recent and similarly quietly-horrific offerings like ‘It Follows’ and ‘Piercing’…”
“‘Freaky’ is uneven, but it has moments of magic.”
“‘Anything for Jackson’ is a perfect example of wasted potential, as the film contains some solid elements that Dyck fails to build upon.”
“‘Mank’ probably spends more time than necessary defining the protagonist’s own crisis of conscience within a corrupt and decaying dream factory.”
“‘Archenemy’ could easily ditch all the higher concept stuff and simply exist as a dark buddy comedy. As it stands, this is an interesting misfire for Mortimer…”
“‘Mank’ is just the latest installment in Netflix’s self-concious branding strategy.”
Dominic Erickson Interviews ‘The Nest’ Director Sean Durkin
Dipankar Sarkar Interviews ‘Scam 1992’ Filmmaker Hansal Mehta
“‘Happiest Season’ may not be the cozy, easy and festive rom-com that many were expecting, but for those looking for something more challenging, it’s a vital, moving and essential watch any time of year.”
“‘Minari’ might be the best example to date of a film that understands the romantic appeal of a country that claims to pride itself on its immigrant population, and why millions of people worldwide still follow that ideal…”
“The cold numbness of ‘Antarctica’ perfectly encapsulates the constant physical and emotional hardship faced not just by the current teen generation, but girls in particular.”
“Some of the movie’s most intriguing scenes veer from their intended goal.”