TIFF 2017 Review: Lucrecia Martel’s ‘Zama’
“‘Zama’ is the kind of historical film that refuses to concede even the smallest positivity to the history in question.”
TIFF 2017 Review: Guillermo del Toro’s ‘The Shape of Water’
“Guillermo del Toro may very well be cinema’s reigning master of monster mythology.”
TIFF 2017 Review (Wavelengths): Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel’s ‘Caniba’
“Have they never heard of negative space?”
TIFF 2017 Review: Govinda Van Maele’s ‘Gutland’
“The brooding ominousness Van Maele plays with throughout seems to run through many of this year’s European offerings.”
Andy Muschietti’s ‘It’ Struggles with Adaptation
“As an adaptation of a great 20th century novel, ‘It’ completely misses the mark.”
TIFF 2017 Review: Alexander Payne’s ‘Downsizing’
“‘Downsizing’ thinks it has big ideas, but artistically and intellectually, it’s as small as its protagonists.”
TIFF 2017 Review: Michael Haneke’s ‘Happy End’
“In ‘Happy End,’ writer/director Michael Haneke coalesces several of his recurring fixations.”
TIFF 2017 Review (Wavelengths): Denis Côté’s ‘A Skin So Soft’
“There’s an odd fraternity in their grease rubdowns and muscle worship.”
The Return of ‘Twin Peaks’ and the Pleasures of a Myopic Anomaly
“I felt challenged to endure something so terrifying, so relentlessly destabilizing. I felt fear.”
The Woman and the Puppet: On Abel Ferrara’s ‘New Rose Hotel’
“Her power lies in her opaqueness.”
Photo Essay: ‘Campaign Trail 2016 / Bill Clinton in Fargo’ by Q.V. Hough
“Welcome to Fargo, Bill. No security, no problem.”
Vague Visages Is FilmStruck: Jeremy Carr on David Lean’s ‘This Happy Breed’
“It is, quite simply, one of the most engaging and most charming movies ever made.”
Adrenaline and Virtuosic Filmmaking: Hal Ashby’s ‘8 Million Ways to Die’
“It’s not the edge of the knife — it’s the business end of the blade.”
The Sadness of Desert Trolls: On Robert Altman’s ‘3 Women’
“Altman balances searing interpersonal conflicts with a visual rhythm that’s downright whimsical.”
Devious Dialogues: Mike Thorn and A.M. Stanley on ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ Franchise
Mike and Anya submitted this draft on August 25, 2017 — one day before Tobe Hooper passed away at age 74.
My Summer of Dunst: Volume 5
“Dunst remains in control of her persona, but she’s also at the mercy of Hollywood scheming.”
Netflix from 5 to 6: Reed Morano’s ‘Meadowland’
“With ‘Meadowland,’ Reed Morano doesn’t shy away from pain, and neither should Netflix viewers.”
Vague Visages Short Stories: Bleeding and Breathing Deeply by Q.V. Hough
Vague Visages Short Stories #7: Bleeding and Breathing Deeply by Q.V. Hough (Fargo, North Dakota)
Where Does Your Hidden Smile Lie? – On Philippe Garrel’s ‘Frontier of the Dawn’
“This is a love story expressed through gaping structural absences.”
Action Hero Vulnerability and Shocking Comedy in John Frankenheimer’s ‘Dead Bang’
“The vomit moment in ‘Dead Bang’ is unfailingly human.”