Classes, Clashes and the City of Michelangelo Antonioni’s ‘Le amiche’
“With ‘Le amiche,’ Antonioni further bridges the gap between comparatively conservative melodrama and the groundbreaking narrative and visual abstraction he would soon unleash.”
We Failed This Film: Joe Carnahan’s ‘The A-Team’ (2010)
A Series by Dylan Moses Griffin
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘Tokyo Tribe’ (Sion Sono, 2014)
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
‘Adult Life Skills’ Boasts a Commanding Performance from Jodie Whittaker
“Two personified thumbs up.”
Studio Ghibli Forever: An Initiation – ‘Spirited Away’
“A careful reframing of the typical coming-of-age narrative, ‘Spirited Away’ displays a fondness those infinitely awkward years, while showing us all how important they were in making us who we are today.”
Why Criticism: James Agee – From Critic to Filmmaker
A Column on Film Criticism by Justine A. Smith
Two Drink Minimum: Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s ‘Swiss Army Man’
“Sing along with a corpse and come out the other side appreciating the bus ride home.”
Two Drink Minimum: ‘The Secret Life of Pets’, Looney Tunes and Animated Logic
“A series of goofy images isn’t a comedy.”
Talk Dirty to Me: A History of Eroticism in Four Short Films
“In full metamorphosis and reinvigorated by a new voice and direction, there could be no better program to sell that cinema in Montreal is sexy again.”
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘Why Don’t You Play in Hell?’ (Sion Sono, 2013)
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
Studio Ghibli Forever: An Initiation – ‘Princess Mononoke’
“‘Princess Mononoke’ explores the gaping chasm between nature’s gentle acceptance of circumstance and humanity’s steadfast refusal to quietly accept death.”
EIFF 2016: Agnieszka Smoczynska’s ‘The Lure’
“It may sound like an odd compliment to praise a film for coming across like an ambien trip.”
Icon Is My Last Name: Andreas Horvath’s ‘Helmut Berger, Actor’
“We don’t who Helmut Berger is. Neither does he. Once a star, he will always be a star.”
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.”
EIFF 2016 Review: Zach Clark’s ‘Little Sister’
“‘Little Sister’ has a uniformly strong cast, but Addison Timlin gives one of those star-making turns that, if the universe is at all just, will be but the first prominent stepping stone for an extraordinary career.”