“Seldom more than a vehicle for Pacino to exercise his considerable (and still active) talents, Manglehorn is a string of engaging and breathtaking images that, when strung together, become a subdued meandering plot devoid of any real meaning.”
“Hannibal’s origins become comparable to the Joker in The Dark Knight: there are possible explanations for why he is the way he is, but none of them seem to be wholly accurate…”
“The film is nothing if not an audacious directorial debut; a grand, horrifying cinematic mission statement that might particularly appeal to the likes of Michael Haneke and, especially, Gaspar Noé.”
An Essay by Phuong Le
“Game of Thrones may disappear from the conversation for brief lulls, but it always returns with full force — it is doing something right.”
“After the intense aesthetic focus of last week’s “Antipasto,” Hannibal’s shift in character focal point for this week’s “Primavera” brings with it a different thematic center: religion.”
“Now in its fifth season, Game of Thrones has long settled in the category of dread built on anticipation.”
“Without a definite timeline to hold onto, we’re left to focus on the visual minutiae, and, as always, this might be the most fascinating aspect of Hannibal.”
“Change doesn’t always have to be monumental, and small films like Tu dors Nicole can still be great without high stakes.”
Max Bledstein on the ‘Louie’ Season 5 Finale
An Essay by Kyle Turner
“A plethora of heart-pounding footage (race and off-track) is at the heart and soul of Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman.”
“The threat of rape hangs over all the women of Game of Thrones, and it is beginning to weigh on the audience.”
“This Poltergeist is an efficient, amiably entertaining riff on an established thrill ride, but the film does little to spook long-term.”
“One assumes that C.K. won’t spend the entire season finale depicting the further redemption of his protagonist, so it’s certainly conceivable that “The Road: Part Two” will bring new dimensions to the arc. As of now, though, it doesn’t appear to offer much.”
“Crossing the boundaries of reality, Animals tackles drug abuse from an insider’s perspective by inviting the audience to share in an experience so uniquely alienating, it is impossible to fully comprehend.”
“Out of the author’s first three novels, this might be the one that stays far from the themes of Lacombe, Lucien, and surely is the one that feels more juvenile, as La Place de l’étoile was published when Modiano was 23 years old.”
An Introduction to Jaime Grijalba’s Series on Patrick Modiano
“Rape is often portrayed as worse than death in popular culture, and unfortunately Game of Thrones uses it often as a device with little framing or exploration.”
“Given the time and care C.K. has been dedicating to the development of stories recently on Louie, the vignettes of “Sleepover” almost feel like they all could’ve been the subject of their own episodes.”