The Moreau Files: ‘Les Amants’
“It is incredible to think that Louis Malle was only 25 years old when he made Les Amants, as it seems to hold the wisdom and erotic impulse of a much older man.”
The Moreau Files: ‘Ascenseur pour l’échafaud’
“For all the beauty of Malle’s classic, Moreau’s half-mad gliding has become the signature image of the film.”
Review: David Cronenberg’s ‘Maps to the Stars’
“While Cronenberg’s visuals and Bruce Wagner’s dialogue left me speechless early on, the pacing and tone of the final half inspired a couple face-palms. Even so, Cronenberg has plenty to say with Maps to the Stars, and the film’s best moments are powerful.”
The Moreau Files: ‘Diary of a Chambermaid’
“Celestine is a difficult role in that it relies on a careful balance between sex appeal and misplaced indignation. While Moreau’s Celestine uses her sex as a means to raise her social place early in the film, her priorities seemingly shift as she uses her body in order to expose a murderer and rapist (or so she believes).”
The Moreau Files: ‘La Notte’
“The difficulty in discussing the work of Antonioni is that his characters thrive on contradictions, and are often pursuing goals and hungers that will ultimately leave them empty.”
Fargo Film Festival: David Zellner’s ‘Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter’
“Heart-warming and often hilarious, Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter reminds that individuality may take one a long way given the right conditions. Chase your treasures with confidence and be prepared.”
The Moreau Files: ‘Jules et Jim’
“In the male dominated world of the French New Wave, Catherine (Jeanne Moreau) in François Truffaut’s Jules et Jim (1962) stands out as a mysterious and particularly beguiling female presence.”
Review: François Delisle’s ‘Chorus’
“Grief is quite clearly the central theme of Chorus, and the film portrays two people gripped with guilt, anger and sadness at the loss of their child. Loneliness and isolation pervade the universe of the film, the characters drifting and barely connecting with the world around them.”
Fargo Film Festival: David Robert Mitchell’s ‘It Follows’
“Director Mitchell works his settings to the fullest, whether it’s the perceived isolation of a beach, a seemingly safe school or the inevitable, claustrophobic moment of domesticity.”
Recap: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ‘Kimmy Goes Outside!’
“Kemper’s a joy to watch, and ‘Kimmy Goes Outside!’ establishes the framework for a potentially iconic character.”