Like a fly in amber or one of the doomed creatures in the formaldehyde jars in Clem’s (Willem Dafoe) cabinet of curiosities, the sepia tones of Nightmare Alley force us to examine, dispassionately, the destruction of a man. Like the original 1947 film, we watch the spiritual and moral decay spread across the face of …
Movie Review
West Side Story is spectacular. Steven Spielberg’s long-awaited musical is one of his finest films, and with a career like Spielberg’s, that is saying something. It all feels so effortless – the dazzling dance sequences, the passionate vocal performances from the actors, the marvelous camerawork from Janusz Kaminski, and through it all, you can feel …
As the young ones say, Licorice Pizza is a mood. Another phrase that applies: your mileage may vary. For some, especially those from the Valley area of Los Angeles, Licorice Pizza will be a warm blanket of nostalgia, evocative of its time and place, full of interesting but relatable characters from a specific era (in …
There is a scene in House of Gucci where Patrizia Reggiani-Gucci (Lady Gaga) comes across a back alley vendor selling fake Gucci bags to unsuspecting housewives on the cheap. Married to Mauricio Gucci (Adam Driver), Patrizia has decided to take an active role in the Gucci family company to the consternation of the rest of …
Once upon a time, the format for Disney Animation was simple and unchanging – take a well-known fable or children’s story, add high-level ballads and funny animal or magic characters, mix thoroughly, and produce fun kids’ perennials. In reality, it missed almost as often as it hit, but years of VCR babysitting and endless home …
It seems like Jason Reitman was born to direct Ghostbusters: Afterlife. After all, his father directed the original film. Jason is in Ghostbusters 2. Ghostbusters has been a part of his life for practically all his life. He has memories of being on set for the first film, watching his father help create an iconic …
When it comes to their respective cinematic universes, the primary difference between DC and Marvel has been this: DC paints in broad strokes of mythic legends and stories in a contemporary setting. Marvel keeps things mostly focusing on character. Of course, both switch it up from time to time, but that’s been the general dynamic, …
With one or two really, really well-known exceptions, it’s become the kiss of death for a fantasy sci-fi epic to open with a scroll of exposition. Not because it presages the filmmaker’s concerns that audiences won’t understand enough of the nuances of the backstory to engage with the prime narrative properly. But because the opening …
Dune (or Dune Part One as the opening credits assure us) is a towering cinematic achievement, with stunning visuals, confident direction, impressive art and sound design, a score that blasts you through the theater (or living room) wall, and performances that pull directly from Frank Herbert’s epic novel. However, Dune is also half a movie. …
The Last Duel is a film full of contradictions; indeed, the contradictions are the point. This is not the first time this kind of subject matter has been handled this way, with multiple perspectives and the ephemeral nature of truth. This isn’t even Ridley Scott’s first foray into French dueling stories; his first film, The …