I could not wait to get to this one. This is actually the one performance that made me officially choose Scarlett Johansson this year over my other choice. Casting my mind all the way back to 2014, I remember walking out of the theater a total wreck. For anyone who has ever had an ex, … Continue reading The Scarlett Johansson Project — #7
#incredible
Paddleton
Release: Friday, February 22, 2019 (Netflix) →Netflix Written by: Mark Duplass; Alex Lehmann Directed by: Alex Lehmann It's not often that the Duplass brothers make a heavy movie. Darting in and out of the so-called mumblecore scene and playing with time in pleasantly nostalgic trips down memory lane (Blue Jay) or lurching ahead into the future with spirited … Continue reading Paddleton
Blade Runner 2049
Release: Friday, October 6, 2017 →Theater Written by: Hampton Fancher; Michael Green Directed by: Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve proves himself a worthy heir to Ridley Scott with his hauntingly beautiful and poetically told Blade Runner 2049, a narratively and emotionally satisfying expansion of Scott's 1982 classic. It proposes an even darker version of an already grim future reality … Continue reading Blade Runner 2049
April Blindspot: Metropolis (1927)
Release: Sunday, March 13, 1927 [Netflix] Written by: Thea von Harbou Directed by: Fritz Lang Austrian-German filmmaker Fritz Lang's critique of capitalism and class structure in his classic silent epic Metropolis is a sight to behold, even if it is far from graceful. He imagines a dystopian city in the year 2026, a self-contained universe starkly divided between the weak … Continue reading April Blindspot: Metropolis (1927)
Lion
Release: Christmas Day 2016 [Theater] Written by: Luke Davies Directed by: Garth Davis Lion operates on behalf of non-profit organizations across the globe endeavoring to end the epidemic of child homelessness in developing nations. It is an earnest, emotionally charged exploration of a life less ordinary, simultaneously a delicate and powerful epic that should give hope to others who find themselves similarly … Continue reading Lion
Manchester By the Sea
Release: Friday, November 18, 2016 (limited) [Theater] Written by: Kenneth Lonergan Directed by: Kenneth Lonergan A good movie offers escapism. A better movie makes us think. But some of the best movies don’t necessarily allow us the luxury of escape. They challenge us to face the world that actually includes us, holding a mirror up to our own realities and daring us … Continue reading Manchester By the Sea
Moonlight
Release: Friday, October 21, 2016 (limited) [Theater] Written by: Barry Jenkins Directed by: Barry Jenkins There's a moment late in Barry Jenkins' new film featuring a blown-out Naomie Harris desperate for a cigarette, in the way a recovering crack-addict is desperate for a cigarette. Her violently trembling hands fail her, prompting the assistance of her son, for whom she has spent a lifetime … Continue reading Moonlight
Arrival
Release: Friday, November 11, 2016 [Theater] Written by: Eric Heisserer Directed by: Denis Villeneuve I'm just going to say it: Arrival is magnificent. It's also: 1) another grand gesture from the visionary Québécois Denis Villeneuve that's both sophisticated and stylish; 2) a film that really "makes you think;" 3) the antidote to the last several days in which the world has … Continue reading Arrival
Cemetery of Splendor
Release: Friday, March 4, 2016 (limited) [Vimeo] Written by: Apichatpong Weerasethakul Directed by: Apichatpong Weerasethakul My first review of a Thai film is brought to you courtesy of Mr. Rumsey's Film Related Musings. James is the guy running the show over there and he graciously made this incredibly unique and moving film available to me. Please check out his … Continue reading Cemetery of Splendor
Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang
Release: Friday, October 14, 2016 (Netflix) [Netflix] Directed by: Kevin Macdonald If you have never heard of Cai Guo-Qiang, you are primed for a transcendent experience in Sky Ladder, a Netflix exclusive that delves into the personal and professional life of this blisteringly original Chinese contemporary artist. In this quietly unassuming but bold and visually-oriented documentary from Kevin … Continue reading Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang
