TIFF Journal: ‘Salt and Fire’
Werner Herzog is a brilliant filmmaker when his unique imagination matches up with the right material. Given that the guy tends to make movies even faster and in greater numbers than Woody Allen, that...
View ArticleTIFF Journal: ‘LBJ’
Some years, two movies about the same subject inexplicably compete for viewers’ attention. You know, like ‘Volcano’ vs. ‘Dante’s Peak’ or ‘Armageddon’ vs. ‘Deep Impact’. Well, that happened again this...
View ArticleSundance Journal: ‘Their Finest’
I’m quite cynical about Hollywood insider films (including Oscar front-runner ‘La La Land’). The joke used to be that if you wanted to make a film that was certain to get accolades, it had to be about...
View ArticleSundance Journal: ‘Raw’
Trailers and ads have made ‘Raw’ look like a pure gross-out fest that relies on shock value for shares, entertainment or memorability, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth with this...
View ArticleSundance Journal: ‘Colossal’
The unfortunate aspect of attending a film festival is seeing a movie that’s built upon a great concept but needs another few rewrites. Such is the case with ‘Colossal’. The idea behind it is...
View ArticleSundance Journal: ‘Lady Macbeth’
Have you ever seen a film that attempts to play in the arena of a very specific genre, but doesn’t quite know how to get there? Unfortunately, that’s how ‘Lady Macbeth’ plays out. As a black comedy, it...
View ArticleSundance Journal: ‘Novitiate’
Reading the synopsis of ‘Novitiate’ led me to believe that the drama would be standard “edgy” festival fodder: a young girl enters a monastery to begin the preparatory process of becoming a nun, only...
View ArticleSundance Journal: ‘The Little Hours’
The second nun-related film I saw at Sundance this year, ‘The Little Hours’ couldn’t possibly be farther on the other end of the spectrum from the other one. The reverence and holiness that fill...
View ArticleSundance Journal: ‘The Big Sick’
I have yet to watch an episode of HBO’s hit comedy ‘Silicon Valley’, so ‘The Big Sick’ was my introduction to Pakistani comedian-turned-actor/writer Kumail Nanjiani. With the help of producers Judd...
View ArticleSundance Journal: ‘Chasing Coral’
This year’s Sundance Film Festival kicked off with Al Gore’s ‘An Inconvenient Sequel’. I didn’t catch that one, but from what I’ve heard, the documentary follow-up is completely unnecessary and doesn’t...
View ArticleSundance Journal: ‘The Discovery’
It seems like Sundance co-creator Robert Redford (and/or one of his kids) finds a way into a festival movie each year. More often than not, it feels like these films only make it into the festival...
View ArticleSundance Journal: ‘Wind River’
Taylor Sheridan struck gold twice in a row with his screenplays for ‘Sicario’ and ‘Hell or High Water’. His latest effort, ‘Wind River’, came into the Sundance festival with swarms of buzz – especially...
View ArticleSundance Journal: ‘Mudbound’
This year’s running theme at Sundance seemed to be films that start strong but derail before the end credits. Filled with great actors giving stellar performances, ‘Mudbound’ got the memo and nullifies...
View ArticleSundance Journal: ‘Golden Exits’
Most of the dramas I saw at Sundance this year either revolved around high concepts or were set in scenarios that would obviously result in tension. As such, the small, character-driven ‘Golden Exits’...
View ArticleTIFF Journal: ‘Suburbicon’
‘Suburbicon’ is a film made by talented people and with the best intentions that somehow went wrong. It started as a discarded Coen brothers screenplay that was picked up by George Clooney to direct....
View ArticleTIFF Journal: ‘The Shape of Water’
Throughout his strange career, Guillermo del Toro has made it a mission to fuse horror and fairy tales until they become indistinguishable. The guy has done a remarkable job weaving those dreams...
View ArticleTIFF Journal: ‘Breathe’
It wouldn’t be a TIFF or awards season without a beautiful able-bodied movie star portraying a historically important disabled person. This time it’s Andrew Garfield doing the capital-I Important...
View ArticleTIFF Journal: ‘The Disaster Artist’
Is it possible to spin the worst movie ever made into a good bio-pic? Can walking enigma/punchline Tommy Wiseau be turned into an inspirational figure? Apparently, if you’re James Franco, the answer to...
View ArticleTIFF Journal: Brawl in Cell Block 99
‘Brawl in Cell Block 99’ is a mean and nasty movie that sneaks up on audiences. It’s not immediately clear where this dark odyssey is headed or how bleak and violent it will get. Writer/director S....
View ArticleTIFF Journal: ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ will likely take multiple viewings to process its achievements. What’s clear from the first round is that writer/director/playwright Martin McDonagh (‘In...
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