Two Drink Minimum: Jake Szymanski’s ‘Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates’
“It’s not a dumb movie pretending to be smart, it’s a dumb movie worried about (yet still embracing) its own base stupidity.”
Why Criticism: James Agee’s Vision of the American Cinema
A Column on Film Criticism by Justine A. Smith
Two Drink Minimum: ‘What’s Manzai?!!’
“It looks like a ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy’ episode was produced about manzai after they lost Bill, their writers and about ninety percent of their budget.”
We Failed This Film: Jesse Moss’ ‘The Overnighters’ (2014)
A Series by Dylan Moses Griffin
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘Top of the Lake’ (Jane Campion & Garth Davis, 2013)
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
Studio Ghibli Forever: An Initiation – ‘Only Yesterday’
“An enchanting film that surreally embraces the child within, ‘Only Yesterday’ feels like the first Studio Ghibli film to be firmly aimed at an adult crowd.”
Why Criticism: James Agee’s Voice
A Column on Film Criticism by Justine A. Smith
The Witchy Women of ‘The Fits’: Sexuality in Anna Rose Holmer’s Debut
“One of many elements ‘the fits’ represent is this notion of burgeoning sexuality and how young women respond to the loss of virginity.”
Piecing Together the Fragments of Jean-Luc Godard’s ‘A Married Woman’
“With ‘A Married Woman,’ Godard appears fully devoted to topical bullet points through an essayistic structure, forgoing conventional narrative, character development or expedient pacing.”
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘An Angel at My Table’ (Jane Campion, 1990)
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
Studio Ghibli Forever: An Initiation – ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’
“‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ captures the imaginations of young viewers while imploring the older among them to let common sense go in order to enjoy the pop music and irrefutable heart.”
Two Drink Minimum: The Rock and ‘Central Intelligence’ – When Wit Gets Ripped
“Would we like The Rock as much if he wasn’t shredded like taco lettuce?”
Bestiary of the Mind: René Laloux’s ‘Fantastic Planet’
“As a whole, ‘Fantastic Planet’ works both as fascinating relic and singular cinematic experience, thick with psychedelic riches for the eyes and ears.”
More Than Shadows #2: On the Noir Legacy of Ida Lupino
“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.”
Todd Solondz Offers Surprising Homages to French Filmmakers in ‘Wiener-Dog’
“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.'”
His Blazing Automatics: Ilinca Calugareanu’s ‘Chuck Norris vs. Communism’ and Better Living Through Action Films
“One action hero can change the world.”
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘The Portrait of a Lady’ (Jane Campion, 1996)
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
The Conversation: Introduction and Mike Nichols’ ‘The Graduate’
A conversation on cinema between film critics Drew Morton, Landon Palmer and Justine A. Smith.
Sheffield Doc/Fest Day Three: Grey Skies, Surprise Guests and Uncle Howard
“Legacy can be a tricky topic for any perspective documentarian to cover, but when that legacy belongs to a close family member, and one who was himself a documentarian, it feels almost necessary.”
Sheffield Doc/Fest Day Two: Politics and ‘Pickle’
“Nothing mixes quite like politics and a funny name.”