One of the most audacious films of the year might also be one of the most nominated this season. Director today, auteur tomorrow, Yorgos Lanthimos, has a reputation for pushing the envelope in his cinematic choices with what the audience can and will accept. “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” “The Lobster,” and “The Favourite” […]
A trip through director Robert Eggers’ filmography will be most useful for those experiencing his work for the first time. A word to the wise — marketing Eggers films to mainstream audiences is tricky, so his trailers are cut to sell you something you think you are familiar with. His debut “The Witch” was not
Arguably another remake, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” marks the third solo film for Tom Holland and the franchise’s most complex plot to date. Ironically, the most simplistic new release this week is the one film that focuses on the future instead of the past. For years, this critic has delivered harsh criticism toward Marvel and
Watching Paul Schrader’s latest film is like sitting in an early ’90s medical center waiting room. While you wait, there isn’t much to occupy your time except to look at paintings, magazines or the outdated furniture. Schrader creates a world in “The Card Counter” that’s inescapably dull on purpose. His characters have arrived at the
Scenes from a man’s life. The Italian writer/director Abel Ferrara has written an apparent partial autobiographical account of his life—seemingly (my interpretation) as expiation for things in his past about which he has/is experiencing guilt. The story moves rather slowly across events, with forays into past events and, presumably, symbolic and metaphorical fantasies that encompass external
In Edward Norton’s sophomore feature as director (his first official writing credit), he takes the audience back to the early 1990s where lite mobster movies were a dime a dozen. The saxophone led original score by Daniel Pemberton (Steve Jobs) transports the viewer back to a different era of filmmaking. The cinematography, editing, and leisurely
Director Robert Eggers first film The Witch redefined the horror genre on an independent scale. Before Get Out, Us or Hereditary ushered in a new wave, Eggers scrappy little unnerving film about a disturbed family in the woods, not only bewildered those who saw it, but showcased a filmmaker with an acute style and warped
Aside from the fact that DC’s latest comic book adaptation “Aquaman” borrows heavily from Marvel’s “Black Panther” screenplay (it’s half-brother versus half-brother for the kingdom), it also has an over-saturating amount of special effects. It’s not that the visual effects are noticeably bad, there’s just so many, in every corner of the screen for more
Films about famous painters have always proven a challenge for filmmakers to connect with audiences. Julian Schnabel doesn’t speak English well, so there was an even greater challenge for the director working with his American and European actors. However, he used that alienated feeling in the film as one of many techniques to portray Vincent
Director Kenneth Branagh (“Thor”) has procured the leading role of famous literary inspector Hercule Poirot for himself. A former television film, based on Agatha Christie’s most popular mystery novel, “Murder on the Orient Express” gets the big screen treatment with a cast as long as the train. There are ensembles where the cast works as