Review: Ridley Scott’s ‘The Last Duel’
“The ‘cinematic’ moviegoing experience is gradually taking shape once more, not just the notion of spectacle, but stimulation of the mind and conscience.”
Review: Maureen Bharoocha’s ‘Golden Arm’
“Holland and Sodaro are so effortlessly good together, their characters evoking the kind of visual contrast unforgettably rendered by Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy…”
Interview with ‘Everything Is Cinema’ Filmmaker Don Palathara
Everything Is Cinema Interview: Vague Visages’ Dipankar Sarkar discusses the 2021 movie with filmmaker Don Palathara.
Collecting Movies with Anthony Strand
Anthony Strand Interview: A conversation about movie collecting with Vague Visages contributor Greg Carlson.
Review: Banjong Pisanthanakun’s ‘The Medium’
“‘The Medium’ is arguably the horror movie of the year, one that should be seen on the biggest screen possible.”
On ‘The Guard’ and the Built-In Charisma of Brendan Gleeson
“There is no analytical framework to guide audiences towards a hollow understanding of raw talent. Gleeson’s charisma is built-in, like all legendary performers, and this is most evident when his characters behave despicably.”
London Film Festival Review: Sean Baker’s ‘Red Rocket’
“‘Red Rocket’ is Baker’s strongest work to date, a film much smarter (and far funnier) than its provocative synopsis would suggest.”
London Film Festival Review: Pablo Larraín’s ‘Spencer’
“There is a general sense of otherworldliness that feels enrapturing in ‘Spencer,’ even if Larraín stumbles while addressing the heavier themes.”
The Grit of an Underdog: On Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Gully Boy’
“‘Gully Boy’ has as much heart as it does energy, and skillfully manages to avoid being a formulaic tearjerker about a poor boy from the slums.”
Review: Alan Taylor’s ‘The Many Saints of Newark’
“Despite a variety of shortcomings that encompass eye-rolling fan-service lollipops and unresolved narrative threads, there is much to savor in ‘The Many Saints of Newark.'”
Review: ‘V/H/S/94’
“‘V/H/S/94’ is a thoroughly decent installment despite its relatively slight nature. It’s a film which invites the audience to have a lot of fun but keeps an air of spooky credibility intact…”
Of Netflix, Napoleon and the French Film Heritage
How did the French film industry suddenly change its attitude towards Netflix? And how did Netflix become an advocate for film heritage preservation? Here’s a report by Alina Hirschhausen.
Review: Ting Poo and Leo Scott’s ‘Val’
“Kilmer’s personal observations and insights are always engaging in ‘Val’ and occasionally yield details and particulars that allow viewers to peek behind the curtain of fame.”
Review: Clint Eastwood’s ‘Cry Macho’
“While ‘Cry Macho’ succeeds with the set-up character scenes, it fails with its overall execution.”
Fear God: Kevin Smith’s ‘Red State’ Hits Even Harder at 10
“‘Red State’ boasts a starry cast, but Smith’s story is ruthlessly contained, captured with a grainy texture, and presented like a true no-budget indie horror, with bursts of shocking violence punctuating the tense atmosphere.”
TIFF Review: Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s ‘Earwig’
“The magic of Hadzihalilovic’s ‘Earwig’ comes in the form of its suggestion that viewers abandon their expectations and preconceptions about what cinema should be and what a story can be.”
Review: Soleil Moon Frye’s ‘Kid 90’
“‘Kid 90’ is a story that could have used more unguarded introspection.”
Remembering Matt Myers
Matt Myers In Memoriam: Vague Visages’ Greg Carlson remembers the Fargo native and Hollywoood film producer.
TIFF Review: Michel Franco’s ‘Sundown’
“‘Sundown’ is in the curious position of being a step backwards, while at least not plumbing to the ideological depths of ‘New Order’ to quite the same extent.”
TIFF Review: Anita Rocha da Silveira’s ‘Medusa’
“‘Medusa’ is so overstuffed that it can’t find a way to tie its myriad conflicting tones together…”
