J.J. Abrams’ torturous embrace of determinism and nostalgic imagery sinks what might have been a triumphant Star Wars finale.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
“Let the past die,” says Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) to Rey (Daisy Ridley) at a pivotal moment in The Last Jedi. It’s a surprising line to hear in the eighth episode of a 40-year-old saga. It also perfectly captures writer-director Rian Johnson’s approach to Star Wars. Unlike J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens, a showcase for […]
Austin Film Festival 2017: Lady Bird
Lady Bird is more than a time capsule. Writer-director Greta Gerwig plumbed her own Sacramento adolescence for a work of fiction that’s self-reflective but rarely precious. She renders the inextricable pain and joy of family, home and growing up in careful strokes. Gerwig’s proxy is Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan), a spunky senior at […]
Warehoused
For reasons that boil down to my own naïveté and exposure to imperialist propaganda (better known as the American education system), I grew up assuming that entities like the United Nations and its member countries were infallibly dedicated to the welfare of human beings. That line of thought has since been killed, which makes Warehoused […]
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Halfway through Rogue One, I started to futz with my hair (my habit for coping with boredom). After another 20 minutes I’d flipped the part of my mophead from right to left. This movie—a reckless jaunt through the Star Wars saga’s style with none of its substance—felt like an off-brand version of Disney World’s Star Tours ride. My nausea-prone stomach begged for mercy. […]
No Future: Green Room and Punk Nihilism
“No future” is one of punk’s most distinctive calling cards. Originally borrowed from the lyrics of the Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen,” the slogan captures the nihilistic ideologies that fueled this cultural movement and its offshoots across other artistic media. For the punks, there’s not much hope in a capitalistic hellscape—but there is some […]
Movie Fail Live Tweets the 88th Academy Awards
In light of the massive controversy around #OscarsSoWhite, host Chris Rock reportedly tossed his plans for the 88th Academy Awards in favor of a brand new set of material. We’re all psyched to see what he has in store. The festivities begin at 7 pm EST on ABC (or online). The full list of 2016 Oscar […]
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
I’ve had an interesting relationship with The Hunger Games film series. The first (and titular) entry caught my attention for bringing Suzanne Collins’ dystopian world to such initially vibrant life, but director Gary Ross’ shaky camerawork kept me from lauding the film too heavily. Francis Lawrence took up the directing reigns afterward, and crafted Catching Fire into a […]
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
It might be tempting to spend the night with The Man from U.N.C.L.E.—it’s attractive, stylish and has a great soundtrack—but the experience won’t satisfy you. This slapdash movie throws its scrambled narrative into your lap and expects you to do all of the work to figure it out. Neither director Guy Ritchie nor cowriter Lionel Wigram […]
It Follows
It Follows taught me to fear everything onscreen. The film’s visual language elicits constant unease and feeds off our growing existential dread. The movie takes you in and traps you, leaving you addicted to its inescapable paranoia. The film opens with an unassuming shot of a suburban street in early autumn. Birds chirp and all seems […]
While We’re Young
We all have to grow up eventually. There’s a grim air to that statement—it smacks of morbid cliché—but the inevitability of aging is a powerful motivator. It forces us to confront the decisions we’ve made thus far and confront our self-imposed stagnation. I don’t know if writer/director Noah Baumbach is a cynic but, like me, he is […]
The Last Five Years
One of my close friends introduced me to Jason Robert Brown’s musical The Last Five Years when we were freshmen, and I’ve been listening to the original cast recording regularly ever since. I’ve never seen the stage production itself, and that added degree of separation gave me an uncanny feeling while watching writer-director Richard LaGravenese’s film adaptation. The film […]
A Most Violent Year
We hear breath over a black screen. A runner pants heavily before the camera reveals him jogging around New York City on a winter morning. He’s fit and keeps a strong, even pace. He wears a determined expression. The sound of his breath fades beneath the soulful piano stabs of Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues.” […]
Selma
Selma begins with intimacy and tension. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. prepares to deliver a speech in acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize. He’s nervous and complains something is not right with his ascot. His wife, Coretta Scott King, reassures him that all is well, and the two proceed to the ceremony. The new Nobel […]
Nate’s Top 10 Films of 2014
So many movies released in the past twelve months felt like advertisements that it was nice when the year periodically decided to come back from commercial break. That doesn’t mean that every non-blockbuster was a masterpiece. For every gem like The Grand Budapest Hotel there were duds like Palo Alto or Transcendence. And don’t get me started on The Giver again. I […]
Korra: “Day of the Colossus” / “The Last Stand” Review
That, dear reader, is how you end a series. “Day of the Colossus” offers quick relief by revealing that everyone survived the explosion at the end of last week’s episode. Tension ramps back up immediately. I felt a thrilling endgame pressure watching Team Avatar plan a course of attack to bring down the Colossus. As Josh and Søren […]
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
I didn’t know how to react to Mockingjay – Part 1. I remember feeling strangely ambivalent. I was entirely unmoved for the two hours I spent in the theater. After thinking about the film for a week or so, I realize that I felt cheated. This is because Mockingjay, Part 1 isn’t a movie; it’s a glorified advertisement for […]
Korra: “Kuvira’s Gambit” Review
“Kuvira’s Gambit” is the kind of episode that makes me wish this series wasn’t about to end. The penultimate chapter of Book Four provides plenty for viewers to chew on as we look ahead to the impending finale. The largest of these elements is Kuvira’s newly revealed supermassive mecha suit. Nick revealed the titles for the two-finale […]
Interstellar with Nate and Søren
Nate’s Review Interstellar surprised me. I walked into the theater expecting to see a bombastic space exploration flick. I did not expect the film to bring me to tears, but it did. The plot is centered on the final frontier, but Christopher Nolan’s latest is more than that. There’s a soul beneath the science-fiction spectacle. […]
Whiplash
I made it to the theater just in time. As the clerk handed me my ticket, she said, “There may only be two or three seats towards the front.” So I sat down in the front row, made myself comfortable and uncapped my pen. If you see the film anytime soon, count on finding me in the […]
Korra: “The Battle of Zaofu” Review
Let me step back onto my soapbox for a moment. I was extremely pleased with Bolin’s (P.J. Byrne) character in this episode of The Legend of Korra. My editor noticed in last week’s “Enemy at the Gates” that the other characters never condone Bolin’s childish antics (even if they have in the past). I didn’t pick up on it then, […]
Korra: “Enemy at the Gates” Review
“Enemy at the Gates” whips through several compelling plot threads in The Legend of Korra. It also offers an affecting emotional arc while affirming one of the show’s major weaknesses: Bolin. Let me step onto my soapbox for a minute. Bolin (P.J. Byrne) is a terrible character. For three Books, his only purpose was to provide comic […]
Begin Again
Begin Again was once called Can a Song Save Your Life? Most audiences will probably figure out the film’s answer to that question in short order. Writer/director John Carney’s latest proves again that music, like good food, is irresistible onscreen. The film is simple and earnest. It flows with the even pace of a relaxing summer song. Carney opens his film […]
Revisiting Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining
Stanley Kubrick produced a masterwork of suspense, escalation and visceral horror in his adaptation of Stephen King’s third novel. So much about The Shining has transcended both the horror genre and broader pop culture, from Jack Nicholson’s crazed delivery of “Here’s Johnny!” and young Danny’s “redrum” refrain to Kubrick’s bevy of accomplished cinematographic techniques. Examining the film […]
Korra: “The Calling” Review
“The Calling” works well as a conclusion to this now three-episode arc about Korra’s healing process. “Korra Alone” focused directly on her three-year journey between Books Three and Four. “The Coronation” spent time showing Korra’s training with Toph, but largely stepped back to show the trouble bubbling in the outside world. Building from the same themes, this episode hammers home the […]
Korra: “The Coronation” Review
There’s nothing like a little Toph love to test your mettle. I admit those puns were awful. I’m just ecstatic to see Toph return to the onscreen Avatar universe. She’s an undeniable fan favorite from The Last Airbender, and it’s great to see her brusque approach to training and particular spunk introduced to The Legend of Korra. Speaking of which, how does the Avatar fare […]
Korra: “Korra Alone” Review
Well, that was quick. Picking up where the open-ended premiere left off, “Korra Alone” revealed what the Avatar has been up to for the past few years. Michael Dante DiMartino’s script takes a cyclical path, filling in the gaps without bogging the viewer down in too much exposition. We learn enough to understand how Korra ended […]
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them
Heartache has never looked so beautiful. Ned Benson makes his filmmaking debut with an audacious splash, releasing The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby as not one film, but three. The writer-director debuted two other versions of the movie, subtitled Him and Her (told from the male and female protagonist’s perspectives, respectively), at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. The Weinstein Company […]
Korra: “After All These Years” Review
Oh time, what change you leave in your wake. Barely two months after an intense finale to an emotionally and physically charged third season, The Legend of Korra has returned for its last season. Three years have passed since the end of Book 3, and the showrunners are embracing all facets of the time jump. An aged black […]
The Signal
The Signal irritated me. I saw the film over three months ago, and time has not been kind to my impression of it. If I recall correctly, I left the theater this past June feeling slightly more positive than indifferent about this particular hodgepodge of sights and sounds. How things change. Here’s what I’ve learned in the last three […]
Frank
The room is dim. Four musicians tinker with their instruments as a fifth, the front man, walks onstage. A slight but noticeable crescendo accompanies his entrance. He is tall with a strong build. A large paper mache head rests on his broad shoulders, covering his face and giving him a nondescript expression. This is Frank. Frank feels for […]
Guardians of the Galaxy Changed Blockbusters
A little film called Guardians of the Galaxy accomplished something extraordinary this summer. It featured a cast of characters from a lesser-known comic series, essentially subverted the entire superhero film genre and redefined the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Oh, and it also had the best August opening in box office history. Summer is the season of […]
Snowpiercer
Snowpiercer is a bullet train. The film, like its titular locomotive, races along at breakneck speed. It blitzes through its two hours and bursts through the earthly obstacles in its path. Joon-ho Bong packs a striking brutality into his English-language debut. The result is a unique and darkly compelling piece of speculative filmmaking. Crackling radio clips introduce […]
The Giver
Jeff Bridges spent eighteen years trying to adapt The Giver for the big screen. I wish he had succeeded earlier. One thing that became achingly apparent while watching the film is that it would have been far subtler and far more affecting ten or fifteen years ago. Lois Lowry published her Newbury Award-winning novel in 1993, and […]
Remembering Robin Williams
I am leaning on the register. It’s a slow day at work, so I check my phone. There’s a message in my Sketch 22 thread that stops me. I start scanning the internet, hoping to find something to tell me it isn’t true. But I only find confirmation. I stare at Entertainment Weekly’s short breaking […]
Noah
Darren Aronofsky, a director best known for Requiem for a Dream (2000) and Black Swan (2010), has fallen victim to that most dreaded art-versus-production trope of Hollywood: a big budget. Noah had financial backing north of $100 million and you can see every cent of it. Everything about this film is supersized – giant tracking shots, a […]
Looking Back: The Dark Knight
Six years ago today, one of the most critically acclaimed movies of all time hit theaters. The Dark Knight won over 100 awards when it was released, including academy awards for both sound editing and the late Heath Ledger’s performance. It has remained in the public consciousness since 2008 and is regularly hailed as one of the best […]
Under the Skin
It is a warm Friday afternoon in late April. I am sitting in a coffee shop having a conversation with an excellent teacher. He tells me to see a film called Under the Skin that’s just opened at the local Cinemark. I add it to the top of my ever-lengthening mental list, and on the following Wednesday, […]
The Double
Find a mirror, look at your reflection, and remind yourself that you exist. Now, imagine a world that shut you out so completely it made you question that basic fact. This is where writer-director Richard Ayoade takes you in The Double. The film is an utterly surreal marvel, a comedy so dark it’s equal parts […]
Palo Alto
Artists fear an indifferent audience. But the middle of the road is also the most deplorable position for a critic to be in. It is far easier to shrewdly and bluntly tear a work apart based on its sheer lack of merit. Yet Palo Alto, from writer-director Gia Coppola, does have its merits. It simply fails to build […]
Locke
There’s a contention among certain writers that leaving characters by themselves is detrimental to a story. Writer-director Steven Knight’s latest subverts that alleged rule beautifully. Less a character study and more a multivalent character revelation, Locke is a tremendous, inspiring narrative feat. Tom Hardy plays Ivan Locke, a construction supervisor who gets into his BMW late […]
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Time is unstoppable. That much is clear in Marc Webb’s second outing with everyone’s favorite wall-crawler. The director opens this film with a close up on the gears of a watch, focusing on time slipping second by second. His use of foreshadowing is blatant, especially if you know a thing or two about a certain […]
Transcendence
“Artificial intelligence is bad, mmkay?” That’s what Wally Pfister, the cinematographer and frequent Christopher Nolan-collaborator, wants you to believe in his directorial debut, Transcendence. The death-by-sentient-computers tale is familiar ground, and it’s covered in much better fashion elsewhere. If you’re in the mood for a good tech scare, skip this film and re-watch Terminator. That film is […]
Jimmy Fallon Rings In New Era of Late Night Television
With the lift of a blue curtain, Jimmy Fallon began a new era in primetime entertainment. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon premiered just several weeks ago. The new host was humble and ecstatic as he took the reins from Jay Leno, the face of the show for the past 22 years. Sidekick and announcer Steve Higgins and […]
Bates Motel Checks in For Second Season
There’s trouble in White Pine Bay. A&E’s modern day prequel to the Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho, which in turn is based on the novel by Robert Bloch, is back for its second season. The season premiere, which aired March 3, picks up after the shocking events of last season’s finale. After a quick recap of […]
The Lego Movie
Style is so often substituted for substance in film that seeing something as synergistic as The Lego Movie is truly marvelous, and even more of a joy to look back on. Writer-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have built a multifaceted, visually stunning film. The Lego Movie is at once a brilliantly subversive satire, a heartfelt ode to […]
Frozen
What a nice surprise. Childhood years overfilled with Disney movies have left me feeling queasy at the slightest mention of the brand. However, after seeing Frozen on a whim, I’m glad I gave the company another chance. Co-directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee have crafted a fresh, fun film, loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow […]
2013 A Strong Year in Film
Moviegoers were well-tended in 2013. The past year in film was certainly diverse, with plenty of highs and lows along the way. With a decent slew of quality popcorn flicks and some very pleasant surprises in multiple genres, this was a big year for the silver screen. While it wasn’t quite the sequel-dominated year that, […]
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
I saw this Anchorman sequel twice, and both times I could not stop laughing. It’s been a while since I’ve a seen a film with as much pure manic energy as this one. Rest assured, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues was well worth the wait. Everyone from the powerhouse comedic team behind the first film is back; […]
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The first Hunger Games movie pissed me off. Series author Suzanne Collins helped pen the film’s script herself, but the adaptation was troublingly devoid of the substance that made the book so great. Perhaps the best thing about The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is how it vastly improves on the first film. A much-needed changing of […]
