Moshing Into Laughter: An Interview with ‘Heavy Trip’ Directors Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren
Pablo Staricco Cadenazzi Interviews ‘Heavy Trip’ Directors Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren
Review: Harmony Korine’s ‘The Beach Bum’
“‘The Beach Bum’ is undoubtedly Harmony Korine’s friendliest movie, as the filmmaker tones down his Jean-Luc Godard meets John Waters envelope-pushing tendencies and alienating techniques, yet there’s still a lot of edge to be found in the film.”
Clermont-Ferrand 2019 Short Film Review: Carlos Abascal Peiro’s ‘Jupiter!’
“Oftentimes, shorts will hammer home their endings, but Peiro executes his conclusion quickly, and with full confidence.”
Glasgow Film Festival Review: Radu Jude’s ‘I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians’
“‘I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History’ provides historical context of a brutal period not known to many, and facilitates a discussion of Romania’s pro-Nazi involvement in the Second World War. But narratively, Jude’s film achieves little.”
Clermont-Ferrand 2019 Short Film Review: Kitao Sakurai’s ‘The Passage’
“With a gorgeous vintage sheen across its 4:3 aspect ratio, Sakurai’s short establishes a magical realist land that magnifies the burgeoning diversity of America today – along with all the confusion, preposterousness and sudden violence that comes with it.”
‘Happy Death Day 2U’ Drops the Scares, Doubles Down on Sci-Fi
“‘Happy Death Day 2U’ is a light sci-fi movie with the thinnest veneer of horror, and your enjoyment of the film will depend on your willingness to accept its geeky premise and nonexistent scare factor.”
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?”
Sweet, Satisfying and Sex-Positive: ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno’ at 10
“‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno’ is a lot like a modern ‘When Harry Met Sally,’ for broke 30-somethings rather than wealthy, super-hot business types.”
Ballad of Lee Israel: Marielle Heller’s Excellent ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’
“‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’ is simultaneously suspenseful and laidback.”
‘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.”
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.”
Review: Joseph Kahn’s ‘Bodied’
“‘Bodied’ is a blisteringly urgent and inescapably topical meditation on race, class and identity; the kind of movie that could only be told with the panache and in-your-face directness of Kahn.”
The Boundary-Pushing Comedy in Frank Henenlotter’s Films
“Frank Henenlotter and his films have the demeanor of a naughty uncle making wild, dirty jokes while telling a campfire ghost story. He wants you to take the material seriously, but he’s mostly concerned with you having a great time.”
Vague Visages Is FilmStruck: ‘Twentieth Century’
“Screwball comedies don’t get much funnier, or screwier, than Howard Hawks’ ‘Twentieth Century.'”
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘Baby Doll’ Celebrates Its 60th Anniversary
A Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
Review: Corbin Bernsen’s ‘Christian Mingle’
“Like a lot of reality television, ‘Christian Mingle’ is funny for hateful reasoning that displays damaging, scary facets of our culture.”
Violently Tender: The Secret Humanism of Vincent Gallo’s ‘Buffalo ’66’
“Though bleak and at times brutal, ‘Buffalo ’66’ manages to evoke a world of sensitivity that’s, dare I say, rather feminine.”
Lust, Caution: Paul Morrissey’s ‘Women in Revolt’
“‘Women in Revolt’ stands in defiance of the majority of transgender-specific cinema…”
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘The One I Love’ (Charlie McDowell, 2014)
“A fever dream of marital discontent, Charlie McDowell’s ‘The One I Love’ tackles a failing marriage with sci-fi panache.”
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘The Rose Tattoo’ (Daniel Mann, 1955)
“An incredible failure, ‘The Rose Tattoo’ has value in understanding the confines of the production code and the importance of good direction.”