The Original Sin in ‘Ex Machina’: Ava Is the Origin
“‘Ex Machina’ is not a projection of A.I. fear, but more of a preliminary intervention on the organized process of fearing and hating women.”
Las Palmas Film Festival Review: Kôji Fukada’s ‘Harmonium’
“It’s the demons within that Kôji Fukada astutely brings to life in ‘Harmonium.'”
DIFF 2017 Review: Wong Chun’s ‘Mad World’
“Its megaphone messaging is lost in the noise of its own desperation.”
DIFF 2017 Review: James Gray’s ‘The Lost City of Z’
‘It cannot be understated: ‘The Lost City of Z’ is a revelation.’
DIFF 2017 Review: Feng Xiaogang’s ‘I Am Not Madame Bovary’
“‘I Am Not Madame Bovary’ brilliantly executes its high-concept, formal experimentation perfectly. In doing so, it embodies a vision that harmonizes the theoretical with the actual.”
Las Palmas Film Festival Review: Wang Bing’s ‘Ku Qian (Bitter Money)’
“Ultimately, ‘Bitter Money’ points out that accumulating money doesn’t necessarily bring wealth, and that slaving away isn’t necessarily a solution for the Chinese subjects — it’s their only option.”
DIFF 2017 Review: Noël Wells’ ‘Mr. Roosevelt’
“Despite its over-moralizing and trite narrative, the film’s sweetness and Noël Wells’ promise make ‘Mr. Roosevelt’ a comedy worth spending 90 minutes with.”
DIFF 2017 Reviews: ‘Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl’ and ‘Los Presentes’
“The ambition and concept are good to have, it just takes a lot more work to match the craft and care of Bergman, Altman or Lynch.”
DIFF 2017 Review: Peter Bratt’s ‘Dolores’
“In a time such as ours, ‘Dolores’ delivers a vision of community organization and social flourishment that can usher in a new reality for America’s masses.”
Las Palmas Film Festival Opens with ‘Katie Says Goodbye’
“Roberts believes in the subtle force of his nice-as-pie protagonist, and he is right: Katie’s light outshines the blue Arizona sky.”
Vague Visages Short Stories: The Caveat by Dan Thorn
Vague Visages Short Stories #5: The Caveat by Dan Thorn (Calgary, Alberta)
Album Review: Blood and Glass ‘Punk Shadows’
“While ‘Punk Shadows’ may not evoke the well-worn clichés of mohawks and safety pins, it does offer listeners a bracing dose of originality in the form of nine wildly eclectic tunes.”
Playlist Review: Drake ‘More Life’
“By taking the pressure off himself, Drake has freed himself up to produce his most spry, self-assured work yet.”
Review: Terrence Malick’s ‘Song to Song’
“‘Song to Song’ finds itself in its vast mercies. It balances tragedies and heartbreaks with life’s many graces.”
Album Review: The Shins ‘Heartworms’
“Even if Mercer never ends up creating his ‘Pet Sounds,’ he seems to be settling nicely into his ‘Sunflower’ years.”
Political and Social Conventions in Jacques Demy’s ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’
“Fifty-three years after initial release, ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’ continues to be a formally and contextually innovative French New Wave production; a film that has influenced contemporary directors such as Barry Jenkins, Damien Chazelle and Joachim Trier.”
Looking Back at Camp Crystal Lake: Mike Thorn and Anya Stanley on the ‘Friday the 13th’ Franchise
A.M. Novak and Mike Thorn Talk ‘Friday the 13th’!
Album Review: Sleaford Mods ‘English Tapas’
“They are the band Britain needs at this moment in time.”
Book Review: Jeff Gold’s ‘Total Chaos: The Story of The Stooges / As Told by Iggy Pop‘
“‘Total Chaos’ is that rare thing: a good idea whose final product far eclipses its original premise.”
Technological Tease: Virtual Reality
“I foresee that VR will eventually become a key asset of filmmaking, putting itself right alongside sound, color, digital and CGI as an essential staple of the industry.”