“By playing characters that feel like versions of themselves, both Bela and Boris try to manipulate the iconography that surrounds them, in a postmodern exploration of what it means to be a star, and wonder if it’s possible to escape from their own shadows.”
Weekend Vibes is a Friday column about streaming recommendations, new release hype and entertainment events.
“It’s hard not to listen to The Quick’s output and wonder, wistfully, what could have been.”
“Like a modern-day Machiavelli, his amoral world-view doesn’t see the ethical shades of his actions, only the gains and losses they might occur.”
“Frank Henenlotter and his films have the demeanor of a naughty uncle making wild, dirty jokes while telling a campfire ghost story. He wants you to take the material seriously, but he’s mostly concerned with you having a great time.”
“The film is not without heart, though its heart exists in scattered fragments without assimilating into a cohesive whole.”
“In its absence of cynicism and surface mundanity, ‘Joe Pera Talks with You’ presents a conceit that feels genuinely daring in the context of a comic universe which prides itself on provocative fare from the likes of Tim and Eric, Dave Willis and Eric Andre.”
In celebration of Bob Dylan’s May 24 birthday, Vague Visages writers list their favorite tracks.
“‘Sweet Smell of Success’ seems to exist somewhere beyond auteurist canonization or even the traditional Hollywood studio stock.”
“Garrone is more sorry for Marcello’s corruption than he is frustrated by his naivety.”
“Memory and identity are inextricably linked.”
Michael J. Casey on Paul Schrader’s thematic links in ‘Taxi Driver,’ ‘Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters’ and ‘First Reformed’
Weekend Vibes is a Friday column about streaming recommendations, new release hype and entertainment events.
“It’ll take more than a surface-level appreciation of ‘Under the Silver Lake’ to grasp what lies beneath real threats, instinctive desire and a swilling indebtment to the world that has shaped who we are.”
“Haim’s May 14 set, the penultimate stop on the U.S. leg of their ‘Sister, Sister, Sister’ tour, was the perfect showcase for the group’s achievements.”
“‘Revenge’ is not quietly revolutionary. It makes its message quite clear. Loud, brash, neon-colored and shot like a music video, the flick is unabashedly cool.”
“Though it’s not one of Farhadi’s best films, ‘Everybody Knows’ is still an effective, impactful thriller.”
“It’s unconventional and provocative, but with such a powerfully invigorating narration and clear passion between the lines, ‘Mandy’ feels like an explosive liberation.”
“Yates delivers the message that our chosen professions and work environments define who we really are. One cannot successfully live a dual existence. Love requires the joining of oneself to another person as well as that person’s job.”
Yoana Pavlova Interviews Filmmaker Mike Ott