by PJ YermanPresented in stunning Cinemascope and written and directed by Damien Chazelle (Whiplash), La La Land beautifully sets in motion a love story between Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress, and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a down-on-his-luck jazz pianist, as they sing and dance their way through the City of Stars in a quest to … Continue reading
by Austin GoldThe Criterion Collection prides itself on putting out hard-to-find films, but this Tuesday, they’re releasing one that’s been in the public domain for almost 50 years. Why? Because His Girl Friday is just that damn good. Watching this is like watching an 18-wheeler back up perfectly into a narrow spot on its first … Continue reading
In a year largely vilified because of its violence, upheaval and bitter social schisms, it makes sense that the genre to receive an abnormal boost in success would be horror. 2016 delivered a mini-renaissance for horror movies that hasn’t been seen in some time. As you’ll see in our list celebrating a dozen of our … Continue reading
by Byron BixlerThe concept of the shape-shifter has always maintained a significant role in the history of the horror genre. Personally speaking, the idea of entities pretending to be something they’re not has been a common trait in my own nightmares over the years. At the root of this idea is the fear of the … Continue reading
by Byron BixlerSt. Vincent? They should have called it “For Your Consideration”. Well, no, actually that wouldn’t do. Christopher Guest already took that title. How about “Cliches: The Movie”? Or “Heartstrings: We’re Yanking on Yours”? Or maybe just good ole “Cloying Bullshit”? There we go. Simple and to the point. Seriously, though, St. Vincent is … Continue reading
by Elizabeth EstenIt’s not an unpopular sentiment that the blockbusters of summer 2016 were incredibly disappointing, especially for comic book and franchise fans. Whether it be the mess that was Suicide Squad or whatever X-Men: Apocalypse was, film fans everywhere looked for some movies that weren’t merely mediocre. Luckily for them, independent cinema came in … Continue reading
by David FriedfertigDenzel Washington returns to the director’s chair for Fences, a story about a dysfunctional African-American family living in 1950s Pittsburgh. Based on the play of the same name by August Wilson, the movie took a while to get made after the playwright insisted on having an African-American director helm the project. After three … Continue reading
by Kris DiNardiLoving is based on Richard (Joel Edgerton) and Mildred (Ruth Negga) Loving’s nine-year legal battle with the state of Virginia in the 1960’s over the legitimacy of their interracial marriage. After spending a few years in exile in Washington D.C. in order to escape Virginia’s anti-miscegenation laws, the Lovings decided to secretly return … Continue reading
by Byron BixlerThere are several places one could start when addressing the individual parts of Pablo Larrain’s masterpiece, but let’s begin on its most superficial level. Jackie belongs to a group of “snapshot biopics” that have come out in the last few years, catching up with a historical figure during a very brief period of … Continue reading
by Joshua WiederBarry is director Vikram Gandhi’s second film, and his fledgling, amateur directorial tendencies draw attention to themselves quite glaringly in this two-hour coming-of-age biopic about a 20-year-old Barack Obama. In the interest of fictionalization, this film makes a concerted, but subtle effort to draw a distinction between the real man and this fictional … Continue reading
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