TIFF 2018 Review: Neil Jordan’s ‘Greta’
“Greta’s biggest asset is that it’s a film that relishes in its own absurdity.”
‘Crazy Rich Asians’: A Charming Rom-Com About Asian Affirmation
“Directed with sensitivity by Jon M. Chu, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ pokes fun at frivolity and the pretenses of the rich while letting loose with some lavish fun across vast picturesque landscapes.”
Making a Movie Is Humiliating: Alex Ross Perry on His Career So Far
Julia Yepes Interviews Filmmaker Alex Ross Perry
Parody of Power: Benny and Josh Safdie’s ‘Good Time’
“By exposing the falsehood of one’s presumption of power, the Safdies awaken viewers to the inescapable consequences of their actions and weaknesses, along with the vulnerability of their own fate.”
Vague Visages Writers’ Room: Weekend Vibes 2.23.18
Weekend Vibes is a Friday column about streaming recommendations, new release hype and entertainment events.
“Well, Childhood’s Over” – Claiming Adulthood with Some Help from Greta Gerwig
An Essay by Marshall Shaffer
Hidden Gems of Soviet Cinema: On Sergei Loznitsa’s IDFA Top 10
“Now free to travel, these films now face the trouble of traveling well.”
Photo Essay: ‘Fargo-Moorhead St. Patrick’s Parade 2017’ by Q.V. Hough
“When I moved back to Fargo, I began thinking more about visual themes, which ultimately inspired Vague Visages.”
‘Colossal’ and the Monstrous Pettiness of the Male Ego
“Maybe she can finally make a life that’s actually hers.”
Oak Cliff Film Festival Review: Dustin Guy Defa’s ‘Person to Person’
“‘Person to Person’ posits a world where forgiveness, kindness and neighborliness are actualized by a recognition of the innate goodness of humanity.”
Cannes Film Festival Review: Noah Baumbach’s ‘The Meyerowitz Stories’
“Like a classic stand-up comedian, Baumbach is far more interested in observation than hot button provocation.”
Review: Onur Tukel’s ‘Catfight’
“What ‘Catfight’ lacks in sanity, it makes up for in the sheer exuberance of Sandra Oh and Anne Heche.”
Mike Birbiglia’s ‘Don’t Think Twice’: The Anti-‘La La Land’
“Where Los Angeles offers an idyllic vision of dreamers, New York can’t help but set the stage for an all too depressing look at those left behind.”
A Mother’s Twisted Love: Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s ‘Evolution’
“Elliptical and predominantly visual, ‘Evolution’ will frustrate any viewer unwilling to let go of common sense.”
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘Cat People’ (Paul Schrader, 1982)
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
Punk Celebrates Its 40th Birthday with a Night at the Movies
“Relying heavily on the sheer talent of its leading performers, and the loud boisterousness of the music that defined an era, Alex Cox’s ode to punk is pure Anarchy in the UK.”
Moving Picture: ‘Frances Ha’ and Me
An Essay by Kyle Turner
Recap: Vinyl ‘E.A.B.’
“Because, man, when Vinyl sucks, it really sucks. But when it doesn’t suck… it doesn’t suck. Read that back as early 70s Iggy Pop, it’s a better line that way.”
Recap: Girls ‘Good Man’
“The series may not be as wild and crazy as its earlier and edgier self, but the even strain continues to fit neatly with the theme of maturation.”
2015 in Review: Noah Baumbach’s ‘Mistress America’
“Mistress America revels in the romance of being young before carefully setting its characters back down into the real world.”