EIFF 2016 Review: Christy Garland’s ‘Cheer Up’
“Garland’s structure with the film’s construction is part observational documentary, part techniques used more with fiction features.”
Two Drink Minimum: The Rock and ‘Central Intelligence’ – When Wit Gets Ripped
“Would we like The Rock as much if he wasn’t shredded like taco lettuce?”
Bestiary of the Mind: René Laloux’s ‘Fantastic Planet’
“As a whole, ‘Fantastic Planet’ works both as fascinating relic and singular cinematic experience, thick with psychedelic riches for the eyes and ears.”
Violent Vengeance: Game of Thrones ‘Battle of the Bastards’ (Recap)
“Game of Thrones has long thrived on the ambiguous moralities and complex psychologies of its anti-heroes, but ‘Battle of the Bastards’ pushes its current season towards culminating in a jarringly tidy climax.”
Provincetown International Film Festival Reviews: ‘Captain Fantastic’ and ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’
“Life and death, mere moments apart, catalyze the narratives of both Matt Ross’ ‘Captain Fantastic’ and Taika Waititi’s ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople.’
Preacher Recap: ‘Monster Swamp’
“It’s the denial, the lack of judgement and the lack of consequences that run so rampant in the city which make the episode’s climax so powerful.”
More Than Shadows #2: On the Noir Legacy of Ida Lupino
“Ida Lupino may have thought of herself as a poor man’s Don Siegel as a director and Bette Davis as an actress, but I think that’s far from true.”
Provincetown International Film Festival Review: Andrew Neel’s ‘Goat’
“‘Even if Neel makes a lousy ‘Final Girl,’ ‘Goat’ is an excellent monster movie, where the monster is toxic masculinity itself.”
Todd Solondz Offers Surprising Homages to French Filmmakers in ‘Wiener-Dog’
“It can’t help but seem like there was one film about a dog bringing people together in light of troubled times, if only briefly, but then it was decided that there would also be a film about a dog being a prop for stories that his detractors would label as ‘autopilot Solondz.'”
His Blazing Automatics: Ilinca Calugareanu’s ‘Chuck Norris vs. Communism’ and Better Living Through Action Films
“One action hero can change the world.”
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘The Portrait of a Lady’ (Jane Campion, 1996)
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
The Conversation: Introduction and Mike Nichols’ ‘The Graduate’
A conversation on cinema between film critics Drew Morton, Landon Palmer and Justine A. Smith.
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Tatiana Huezo’s ‘Tempestad’
“Tatiana Huezo and cinematographer Ernesto Pardo have struck a balance between natural beauty and human squalor in a way that mirrors how Mexican citizens have had to live with the ever-present possibility of life-ending terror.”
Two Drink Minimum: Bo Burnham’s ‘Make Happy’ (Netflix)
“When the red, white and blue lights go off, one can begin to understand that Burnham hasn’t put together a comedy special, but a deconstructive stage play of epic proportions.”
Sheffield Doc/Fest Day Four: Sir David Attenborough Q and A
“At a festival dedicated to the documentary, the opportunity to meet a true giant of the field was an unmissable, and indeed, unforgettable experience.”
Preacher Recap: ‘The Possibilities’
“With most of the series’ major villains now in play, if not all, it’s only a matter of time before Annville becomes the ‘Monster Swamp’ Root so fears.”
Sheffield Doc/Fest Day Three: Grey Skies, Surprise Guests and Uncle Howard
“Legacy can be a tricky topic for any perspective documentarian to cover, but when that legacy belongs to a close family member, and one who was himself a documentarian, it feels almost necessary.”
At a Juncture: Game of Thrones ‘No One’ (Recap)
“After the emotional revelation of the origin of Hodor’s name, HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ has been in a bit of an awkward place.”
Sheffield Doc/Fest Day Two: Politics and ‘Pickle’
“Nothing mixes quite like politics and a funny name.”
Sheffield Doc/Fest Day One: Remembering Chantal Akerman
“The 2016 iteration of the Sheffield Doc Fest boasts a film lineup consisting of 29 world, 20 European and 14 international premiers, alongside an international contingent of buyers and programmers hunting for the best of the best.”