“By playing characters that feel like versions of themselves, both Bela and Boris try to manipulate the iconography that surrounds them, in a postmodern exploration of what it means to be a star, and wonder if it’s possible to escape from their own shadows.”
“Like a modern-day Machiavelli, his amoral world-view doesn’t see the ethical shades of his actions, only the gains and losses they might occur.”
“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.”
“The film is not without heart, though its heart exists in scattered fragments without assimilating into a cohesive whole.”
“In its absence of cynicism and surface mundanity, ‘Joe Pera Talks with You’ presents a conceit that feels genuinely daring in the context of a comic universe which prides itself on provocative fare from the likes of Tim and Eric, Dave Willis and Eric Andre.”
“‘Sweet Smell of Success’ seems to exist somewhere beyond auteurist canonization or even the traditional Hollywood studio stock.”
“Garrone is more sorry for Marcello’s corruption than he is frustrated by his naivety.”
“Memory and identity are inextricably linked.”
Michael J. Casey on Paul Schrader’s thematic links in ‘Taxi Driver,’ ‘Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters’ and ‘First Reformed’
“It’ll take more than a surface-level appreciation of ‘Under the Silver Lake’ to grasp what lies beneath real threats, instinctive desire and a swilling indebtment to the world that has shaped who we are.”
“‘Revenge’ is not quietly revolutionary. It makes its message quite clear. Loud, brash, neon-colored and shot like a music video, the flick is unabashedly cool.”
“Though it’s not one of Farhadi’s best films, ‘Everybody Knows’ is still an effective, impactful thriller.”
“It’s unconventional and provocative, but with such a powerfully invigorating narration and clear passion between the lines, ‘Mandy’ feels like an explosive liberation.”
“Yates delivers the message that our chosen professions and work environments define who we really are. One cannot successfully live a dual existence. Love requires the joining of oneself to another person as well as that person’s job.”
“What could’ve been an intense peeking into the mind of a terrorist ends up being a somewhat naive, clinical recording of his wrongdoings.”
“‘Cisco Pike’ is a meditation on failure at all levels; defeat was in the air and no stratum of society was exempt.”
“This isn’t simple hypocrisy. It’s a reversal of expected roles. Children in ‘The Square’ are equated with a moral courage that has been stripped from the film’s adults.”
“Without being didactic or simplistic, Kahiu shows the widely different ways in which the people around the girls react to their affection to suggest that, although not all Kenyans are homophobic today, lives are still ruined by a pervasive intolerance.”
“Through its moving journey of evolution, truth and desire, ‘Disobedience’ displays that liberation makes life richer, and that it’s necessary to feel truly alive.”
“Guerra and Gallego may not have reproduced the surreal images from ‘Embrace of the Serpent,’ but their determination to preserve the history of those who capitalism has destroyed remains as strong and necessary as ever.”