We are part of a fortunate and collective audience. Through films, we can go back in time and we be part of history by the recreation of our past, as dark and uncomfortable as it may be. I believe the exposure to our past — especially by younger audiences — is essential. By exploring the…
After viewing Uncut Gems, I found myself wondering, “Has any movie character ever so completely brought all their story’s conflict upon themselves as much as Howard Ratner does?” I guess that’s the nature of stories about addiction, that the addicts can’t help themselves and suffer horrible consequences as a result, but Howard really takes the…
The whodunnit provides a certain kind of cinematic pleasure. The crime which is never straightforward. The host of suspects, all with motives and sometimes conflicting alibis. The elaborately twisting plot where half the fun is not knowing and the other half finding out. Through the decades and across media from literature to film to television…
Some well-meaning films, no matter how big or small in scale or scope, have the undeniable power to reveal truths however biting they may be. Noted Bay Area-based writer-director Boots Riley’s (from the political hip-hop group known as “The Coup”) dark satirical comedy Sorry to Bother You is just such one of those unassuming and…
Mackenzie Davis (“Tully”) is currently in that sweet spot where she can do no wrong. She’s a highlight of every movie she appears in and continues to be a lively, engaging presence. Her starring role in the sketchy indie comedy Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town is no exception. Without Davis, the movie would quickly…
One of the most attractive and thrilling aspects of Tsugumi Ohba’s manga and Tetsuro Araki’s anime adaptation of Death Note, is that the persistent and ever-twisting mind games played against a stylish and neo-noir backdrop always seem to build on the one preceding it until it reaches unfathomable heights. Though there have been live-action adaptations…
After experiencing a tragedy, a grieving young couple escapes to the Bahamas in an attempt to mend their emotional scars. Nadine (Dree Hemingway, “While We’re Young”) retreats to alcoholism to cope, while her husband Lewis (Lakeith Stanfield, “Get Out”) endlessly struggles to connect with her again. Unknowingly, the two find themselves caught in the middle…
