‘Mulholland Dr.’ 4K Restoration: Another Look Behind Winkie’s Diner
“Just as with life, ‘Mulholland Dr.’ is unexplainable.”
It Was Never Enough: FEUD ‘Abandoned‘ (Recap)
“‘Feud’ may not be the most honest depiction of Joan Crawford and Bette Davis as human beings, but it provides an authentic depiction of the way it feels to be a woman trapped in a system that isn’t made for them or by them.”
Album Review: CFM ‘Dichotomy Desaturated’
“Based on the music from ‘Dichotomy Desaturated,’ I’d say he’s destined for greatness.”
The Original Sin in ‘Ex Machina’: Ava Is the Origin
“‘Ex Machina’ is not a projection of A.I. fear, but more of a preliminary intervention on the organized process of fearing and hating women.”
Las Palmas Film Festival Review: Kôji Fukada’s ‘Harmonium’
“It’s the demons within that Kôji Fukada astutely brings to life in ‘Harmonium.'”
DIFF 2017 Review: Wong Chun’s ‘Mad World’
“Its megaphone messaging is lost in the noise of its own desperation.”
The Sweet Smell of Rot: FEUD ‘Hagsploitation’ (Recap)
“At its best, ‘Feud’ seeks to prove, and admirably so, that trash — as John Waters and William Castle can attest — is hardly the worst thing one can be.”
DIFF 2017 Review: James Gray’s ‘The Lost City of Z’
‘It cannot be understated: ‘The Lost City of Z’ is a revelation.’
DIFF 2017 Review: Feng Xiaogang’s ‘I Am Not Madame Bovary’
“‘I Am Not Madame Bovary’ brilliantly executes its high-concept, formal experimentation perfectly. In doing so, it embodies a vision that harmonizes the theoretical with the actual.”
Las Palmas Film Festival Review: Wang Bing’s ‘Ku Qian (Bitter Money)’
“Ultimately, ‘Bitter Money’ points out that accumulating money doesn’t necessarily bring wealth, and that slaving away isn’t necessarily a solution for the Chinese subjects — it’s their only option.”
DIFF 2017 Review: Noël Wells’ ‘Mr. Roosevelt’
“Despite its over-moralizing and trite narrative, the film’s sweetness and Noël Wells’ promise make ‘Mr. Roosevelt’ a comedy worth spending 90 minutes with.”
DIFF 2017 Reviews: ‘Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl’ and ‘Los Presentes’
“The ambition and concept are good to have, it just takes a lot more work to match the craft and care of Bergman, Altman or Lynch.”
I Didn’t See That She Was There: FEUD ‘And the Winner is… (The Oscars of 1963)’ (Recap)
“While men may act as puppeteers — pulling all the strings, setting women up for failure — it is the women themselves who commit the most petty and egregious acts of terror.”
DIFF 2017 Review: Peter Bratt’s ‘Dolores’
“In a time such as ours, ‘Dolores’ delivers a vision of community organization and social flourishment that can usher in a new reality for America’s masses.”
Las Palmas Film Festival Opens with ‘Katie Says Goodbye’
“Roberts believes in the subtle force of his nice-as-pie protagonist, and he is right: Katie’s light outshines the blue Arizona sky.”
Vague Visages Short Stories: The Caveat by Dan Thorn
Vague Visages Short Stories #5: The Caveat by Dan Thorn (Calgary, Alberta)
Album Review: Blood and Glass ‘Punk Shadows’
“While ‘Punk Shadows’ may not evoke the well-worn clichés of mohawks and safety pins, it does offer listeners a bracing dose of originality in the form of nine wildly eclectic tunes.”
Playlist Review: Drake ‘More Life’
“By taking the pressure off himself, Drake has freed himself up to produce his most spry, self-assured work yet.”
Right Hand Ladies: FEUD ‘More, or Less’ (Recap)
“The American Dream is alive and well in ‘Feud,’ though it may be buried deep below the surface of in-fighting, old rules and men that can’t see the tide rolling in.”
The Anti-Romance of Agnès Varda’s ‘La Pointe Courte’
“The married couple’s conversation in ‘La Pointe Courte’ is a spellbinding predecessor to Richard Linklater’s ‘Before Trilogy’ and further proof that no great film needs ‘action’ to be great.”