Recap: Hannibal ‘Antipasto’
“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.”
Review: Stéphane Lafleur’s ‘Tu dors Nicole’
“Change doesn’t always have to be monumental, and small films like Tu dors Nicole can still be great without high stakes.”
Review: Anne Fontaine’s ‘Gemma Bovery’
“The shell of Gemma Bovery makes it seem like there might be something weighty within, but it’s too empty an affair.”
Recap: Louie ‘The Road Part 2’
Max Bledstein on the ‘Louie’ Season 5 Finale
Love in the Time of Cabiria
An Essay by Kyle Turner
Review: Adam Carolla and Nate Adams’ ‘Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman’
“A plethora of heart-pounding footage (race and off-track) is at the heart and soul of Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman.”
Recap: Game of Thrones ‘The Gift’
“The threat of rape hangs over all the women of Game of Thrones, and it is beginning to weigh on the audience.”
Review: Gil Kenan’s ‘Poltergeist’
“This Poltergeist is an efficient, amiably entertaining riff on an established thrill ride, but the film does little to spook long-term.”
Recap: Louie ‘The Road Part 1’
“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.”
‘Lacombe, Lucien’ and the Early Novels of Patrick Modiano: ‘Les Boulevards de ceinture (Ring Roads)’
“In every novel (and in the movie), there’s a moment in which the deep feeling of love wakes up the protagonist from the slumber of servile conditioning. They have turned into little monsters, but in the end they will find their freedom, even if it kills them or makes them insane.”
Review: Collin Schiffli’s ‘Animals’
“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.”
‘Lacombe, Lucien’ and the Early Novels of Patrick Modiano: ‘La Ronde de Nuit (The Night Watch)’
Part 3 of Jaime Grijalba’s Series on Patrick Modiano
‘Lacombe, Lucien’ and the Early Novels of Patrick Modiano: ‘La Place de l’étoile (The Place of the Star)’
“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.”
Review: Thomas Cailley’s ‘Love at First Fight’
“A multiple award winner at the Director’s Fortnight sidebar of Cannes last year, Les combattants, the charming feature debut of director Thomas Cailley, finally arrives in North America under the name Love at First Fight, an unfortunate pun that does a disservice to a romantic comedy that’s much more interesting than its new title may suggest.”
Review: Bradley King’s ‘Time Lapse’
“Apprehensively approaching its subject from a fresh, interesting angle, Time Lapse never quite fulfills the lofty goals it has for itself.”
The Occupation Quadrilogy: ‘Lacombe, Lucien’ and the Early Novels of Patrick Modiano
An Introduction to Jaime Grijalba’s Series on Patrick Modiano
Recap: Game of Thrones ‘Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken’
“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.”
Review: John Maclean’s ‘Slow West’
A fresh, vibrant Western revival, Slow “West uses the tropes of the genre to its advantage, delivering a unique tale about searching for love in all the wrong places.”
Review: George Miller’s ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’
“Surpassing expectations and delivering a heaping dose of electrifying visuals, Mad Max: Fury Road is what all blockbuster action movies should strive to be.”
Recap: Louie ‘Sleepover’
“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.”