Plenty of politics play into the Oscar nomination process (often leading to some dubious selections in the Best Picture, Director and acting categories), but there’s one aspect of the Academy Awards circus that consistently feels pure and even altruistic: the spotlighting of short films. FilmScene is screening the Oscar-nominated short films in the animation, live […]
‘Stan & Ollie’ immediately interested me because of the perfect chemistry John C Reilly (‘Step Brothers’) and Steve Coogan (‘Tropic Thunder’) displayed in just the short trailer. After seeing the full feature film, I’m happy to say that it is my favorite movie so far in 2019. […]
After dozens of forays to FilmScene and local multiplexes in 2018, crunching countless popcorn kernels in anticipation of celebrating the best of the best come February 2019, it was both anticlimactic and disappointing to see a line-up of Best Picture nominees that included the likes of Bohemian Rhapsody, Vice, Green Book and Black Panther. That’s […]
‘Shoplifters,’ written and directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu, is an unsettling movie filled with a joie de vivre that proves unsustainable and falls apart. […]
I was quite excited to see how Jenkins would follow up ‘Moonlight.’ ‘If Beale Street Could Talk,’ his third full-length effort, is already getting heaps of award buzz, and after seeing the film, I completely understand why. […]
By far the best thing about this movie is the two leads, Ronan (Lady Bird) and Robbie. Their performances made me emotionally invested in the characters. […]
As with most of Lanthimos’ work, ‘The Favourite’ really defies category. Though the historical setting is inseparable from the narrative of the film, to call this a historical drama would clearly be wrong — the choreography, the foul-mouthed modern insults and the mostly casual regard for historical accuracy would all disqualify it. […]
DC movies have had quite the rocky road recently. The one beacon of hope was Patty Jenkin’s Wonder Woman. Ever since its release, people have wondered when we were going to get the next strong showing from DC. […]
There’s a fine line between a movie that’s “artsy” and one that’s “artistic,” at least in my mind. Artsy films I associate with a palpable (and largely unearned) sense of importance, originality and depth. They may be unnecessarily abstract, employ an unsteady cam ~for realism~ and cannot end until at least one character has floated […]
‘At Eternity’s Gate,’ now playing at FilmScene, offers little new to the lore and legacy of van Gogh. Nonetheless, an homage to one of the very founders of modern art — as well as the idea of the modern artist — by one of its 21st century practitioners feels right, and Schnabel’s admiration for his subject informs every moment of this film. […]
Wildfires rage in the hills surrounding a small Montana town in the 1960s. A father, humiliated by his boss while working at a golf course, joins a group of firefighters battling the blaze for weeks on end at $1 an hour. His wife resents her husband’s pride and temporary desertion of his family, and becomes […]
You know this story. Whether or not you’ve read David Sheff’s memoir Beautiful Boy or Nic Sheff’s memoir Tweak, you’ve likely heard — or lived — the film’s central scenario: a parent tries desperately to save their drug-addicted child, but finds his best efforts further alienate or enable the child’s behavior; the child, meanwhile, struggles […]
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