“The first word that comes to mind when describing ‘Cléo from 5 to 7’ is escapism. Not only is it an escape for the audience, with Agnès Varda’s documentary style taking viewers on a tour of one of Paris’ many districts, but it explores the title character’s need to break free.”
“Through buckets of blood, ruined flesh and screams, the New French Extremity is creating a cultural commentary about perceptions of gender and nihilism through the adaptation, and ultimate destruction, of an established horror trope.”
“Here’s to hoping that Meredith Hagner will continue to make us laugh while taking her ludicrous characters seriously for many more years, just like Marilyn Monroe did before her.”
“Alverson takes familiar images, milieus and scenarios as a starting point, only to render them alien, jettisoning the usual tenets of narrative cinema in favour of a style that’s far more challenging and hard to define.”
“‘Leave No Trace’ finds its tension in the growing gap between father and daughter as Tom’s worldview widens while Will’s closes in.”
“MoMI’s series is an unflattering depiction of Mother Russia that isn’t new, but these films in particular — and this series in general — provide narratives that illustrate the specifics of Putin’s disorderly government…”
“For all the music that ‘Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation’ offers, it amounts to a one-note production.”
“I don’t believe Mushi Pro and Yamamoto’s intentions were to empower women and stand beside the women’s liberators both in Japan and in the West, but to push the envelope for what animation means as a medium.”
NoBudge Breakdown is a weekly round-up of featured films at NoBudge. For this installment, Vague Visages’ Q.V. Hough examined two weeks of short films (before NB’s summer break) and picked a few that stood out the most.
“If cinema and the internet age have taught us anything, it’s that an explicit truth does not exist. We all perform for a number of lenses, whether they be a film camera or a Twitter account.”
“‘Salvatore Giuliano’ is a thoroughly concentrated work of formal conviction.”
“Sayles’ wonderful gem might not receive the attention it deserves — even in the realm of LGBTQ cinema — but it contains a message that undoubtedly resonates today: no one needs to apologize for who they love.”
“‘The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter’ lacks ‘true grit.’ It’s designed to feel relatable, yet Brolin’s impassioned performance can only do so much to override the stock dialogue and the narrative’s lack of originality.”
“Imhotep, like the Monster, has come from the dead, and this informs the ways in which he relates to the living. More importantly, it impacts the ways in which he relates to death and mortality.”
“Looking at Cusack’s entire body of work helps one realise that, with age and experience, he has built an increasingly complex and multifaceted persona, playing off his image in order to counter expectations and, probably, to remain excited by his job.”
“Monáe paused throughout the night, using her platform to voice increasingly confident calls to political action. ‘We fight for women’s rights. We fight for minority rights. We fight for poor folks’ rights. We fight for immigrants’ rights. Most of all, we fight for love.’”
“Clean and sleek Jet Age Futurism bleeds into every nook and cranny of ‘Incredibles 2’ — so much so that Bird seems to be saying ‘this is what we should have been doing all along.’”
“‘The Dark Knight’ offers far more than a well-crafted comic book tale. Nolan provides a thoughtful film about love, sacrifice and the greater good; the underlying themes stand the test of time and merit celebration upon the classic’s 10th anniversary.”
“Kitano possesses an eye for color and mise-en-scène. Passages often become works of visual art in themselves.”
Sam Ankenbauer Interviews Cinematographer Tom Townend
