“Where ‘Battle of the Bastards’ stumbled by offering simplistic resolutions to complicated problems, ‘The Winds of Winter’ soars by reveling in the dark ambiguities of Westeros’ violent brutality.”
“To missteps when ‘Three’ hews too close to action clichés.”
“The episode provides plenty of darkness, but what it also provides is a sense of understanding.”
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
A Column on Film Criticism by Justine A. Smith
“Garland’s structure with the film’s construction is part observational documentary, part techniques used more with fiction features.”
“Would we like The Rock as much if he wasn’t shredded like taco lettuce?”
“As a whole, ‘Fantastic Planet’ works both as fascinating relic and singular cinematic experience, thick with psychedelic riches for the eyes and ears.”
“Game of Thrones has long thrived on the ambiguous moralities and complex psychologies of its anti-heroes, but ‘Battle of the Bastards’ pushes its current season towards culminating in a jarringly tidy climax.”
“Life and death, mere moments apart, catalyze the narratives of both Matt Ross’ ‘Captain Fantastic’ and Taika Waititi’s ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople.’
“It’s the denial, the lack of judgement and the lack of consequences that run so rampant in the city which make the episode’s climax so powerful.”
“Ida Lupino may have thought of herself as a poor man’s Don Siegel as a director and Bette Davis as an actress, but I think that’s far from true.”
“‘Even if Neel makes a lousy ‘Final Girl,’ ‘Goat’ is an excellent monster movie, where the monster is toxic masculinity itself.”
“It can’t help but seem like there was one film about a dog bringing people together in light of troubled times, if only briefly, but then it was decided that there would also be a film about a dog being a prop for stories that his detractors would label as ‘autopilot Solondz.'”
“One action hero can change the world.”
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
A conversation on cinema between film critics Drew Morton, Landon Palmer and Justine A. Smith.
“Tatiana Huezo and cinematographer Ernesto Pardo have struck a balance between natural beauty and human squalor in a way that mirrors how Mexican citizens have had to live with the ever-present possibility of life-ending terror.”
“When the red, white and blue lights go off, one can begin to understand that Burnham hasn’t put together a comedy special, but a deconstructive stage play of epic proportions.”
“At a festival dedicated to the documentary, the opportunity to meet a true giant of the field was an unmissable, and indeed, unforgettable experience.”