The Exaggerated Joy of Jûzô Itami’s ‘Tampopo’
“If ‘Tampopo’ initially seems familiar, it’s only because Itami masks the exterior as a Western.”
Why Criticism: Horror’s Fight for Respect
A Column on Film Criticism by Justine A. Smith
Two Drink Minimum: Christopher Guest’s ‘Mascots’
“Jamming its artistic support into the final few moments, ‘Mascots’ just checks off boxes.”
NYFF Review: Mike Mills’ ’20th Century Women’
“With Mills so free and acrobatic in his constructions and portrayal of the characters, coupled with excellent acting, it’s difficult not find them endearing given the wit and depth of ’20th Century Women.'”
Neaux Reel Idea: Randy Mack’s ‘Laundry Day’
Neaux Reel Idea is a Vague Visages column by Bill Arceneaux, in which he explores the cinema of his native New Orleans.
Two Drink Minimum: ‘Iliza Shlesinger: Confirmed Kills’
“It’s a savvy marketing strategy for extremely capitalist comedy, but the Shlesinger routine never amounts to anything more pleasant than being stuck sharing a cab with someone that seemed much more interesting several hours and drinks ago.”
Fantastic Fest 2016: Cannibalism and Competition – On ‘Toni Erdmann’ and ‘Raw’
“At Fantastic Fest, that hard truth can be funny or frightening depending on which auditorium you enter.”
Two Drink Minimum: ‘Cedric the Entertainer: Live from the Ville’
“For all Cedric’s struggling against modernity, I can’t help but think Harambe would’ve improved this bit.”
Two Drink Minimum: Emmys 2016 – Progress Comes Quicker with Comedy
“The 68th Primetime Emmy Awards have helped shake up the industry with its most explicitly progressive and comedic self-congratulating.”
Two Drink Minimum: ‘Galaxy Quest’, ‘Star Trek’ and the Real World
“‘Galaxy Quest’ remains great as a testament to sci-fi filmmaking, television and reverence to ‘Star Trek’ as a fandom phenomenon which can only be understood and engaged with via postmodern means.”
At the Cinémathèque: Jean-Luc Godard Finds Pleasure In Estrangement with ‘Passion’
“Centered on a made-for-television film, ‘Passion’ blends the far reaches of Western art with the birth of new mediums.”
Two Drink Minimum: ‘David Cross: Making America Great Again!’ (Netflix)
“Similar to the audience polarization of other onenote comics (like Ricky Gervais), Cross’ locked, angry views overwhelm his substantial wit.”
More Serious Than Love: Éric Rohmer’s ‘A Summer’s Tale’
“The film identifies the dark heart of summer, the humid stagnation and sense of dread that is the season’s essence.”
Two Drink Minimum: Amazon Pilot Reviews
Jacob Oller on ‘The Tick,’ ‘I Love Dick’ and ‘Jean-Claude Van Johnson’
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘The Devil Is a Woman’ (Josef von Sternberg, 1935)
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
Two Drink Minimum: Humor and the Influences of ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’
“As reference humor and pop song needle drops become ironic jokes in and of themselves, stories like Kubo will outlive them all by having just a bit of substance behind the gags.”
Joel Potrykus and Slacker Cinema
“Joel Potrykus has emerged as one of Michigan’s brightest sons.”
Two Drink Minimum: Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon’s ‘Sausage Party’
“In many ways, it’s like watching the Olympics. You may not understand every event or even grasp the differences between the best in the world or last place, but you respect the talent behind it.”
‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’: In Celebration of Dramatic Women
“Through all of these corny musical numbers, the rom-com scenarios, and the outrageous ‘I Love Lucy’ levels of scheming, I find myself relating to Rebecca against the odds.”
Two Drink Minimum: ‘BoJack Horseman’ Season 3 Recaps (Part 4 of 4)
“As long as those around BoJack grow more and more distant, so will his second chances.”