Hamnet postulates that the epic tragedy of Hamlet was William’s deeply personal response to the death of his son. Now, that crescendo of catharsis is merely the final third of Farrell’s novel and Chloe Zhao’s masterful film. A reaction-inducing climax and conclusion like that could only come from an equally important effort to establish the beautiful and challenging humanity of the people going through their ordeal.
Read MoreJay Kelly muses on the celebrity lifestyle without preening as a glorified vanity project solely existing to shower bouquets on George Clooney and give him a fun co-star he can shoot hoops with in between trailers on a lavish European shoot. Because of its striking amplification of the titular legend’s insecurities and the people affected by them, Baumbach’s film finds refreshing drama amid all the comedic frolic of watching a famous person navigate a little bit of the public wild to better define a work-life balance.
Read MoreThe film’s energy comes from how Candy’s co-stars and collaborators talk about him. Leaning heavily on his old SCTV mates Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Catherine O’Hara, Dan Aykroyd, and the continuing Murray, no one is reading from an encyclopedia entry or reciting a biography. This circle of talent speaks about living those moments and what it was like to collaborate beyond when the cameras were rolling. Their asides and memories help frame a fuller picture of John Candy’s mindset and spirit.
Read MoreIncontrovertibly, the loudest word reverberating out of Paul Thomas Anderson’s imposing crime saga and instant awards season juggernaut, One Battle After Another, is “revolution.” When an ambitious movie, no matter the subgenre, invokes that term as its core for conflict, it sets out to establish a setting and context of corruption while positioning a potentially dramatic and dangerous chessboard of characters prepared to take risks and fight against their marked opposition.
Read MoreLiving up to its subtitle to venture into a higher level of solidarity, The Fantastic Four: First Steps presents the proper elevated level of accountability and character connection that comes with family. From that genealogical bedrock, all of the other emerging drama and tension is granted extra ounces, pounds, and tons of importance. By addressing and including such emphasis, this new foray succeeds mightily where previous cinematic interpretations have failed.
Read MoreRyan Coogler gives everything an important story, and, in the end, that concentration matters most. Steeped in all of these mythos and even more unmentioned sublayers of symbolism and imagery curated by a fleet of hired cultural consultants and their seals of approval, Sinners becomes grander and more profound than simply a sandbox genre experiment answering silly Hollywood pitches like “Black people versus vampires.” This filmmaker is above that nonsense
Read MoreBecause of all of this glowing style and sensational suspense, Black Bag is never dull, meaning Steven Soderbergh and his avant-garde arthouse tendencies are never pedestrian either. The prolific and experimental auteur—who put out the supernatural thriller Presence this season—has dabbled with and tamed multiple genres, yet Black Bag nestles itself into the storied “cool” wing of Steven’s film library. He could make one of these twisty yarns a year and we’ll never complain. May that man always stay this cool.
Read MoreMany would say, going by that selection of talent thrust together in this predominantly single-setting premise, the stars were aligned for a peppy crime comedy in Riff Raff. The potential combinations offer interesting mixes of presences and styles. It’s too bad because the script and the director cannot align characters and tones with any semblance of congruency. Simply put, everyone is in a different movie from their scene partners.
Read MoreThis 95-minute voyeuristic thriller morphs into a solemn drama right on cue for a powerful viewing experience, granting moments for the cast to shine and react with the historical swerve occurring before them. By shedding up close and personal light on these secondary, yet distinctive witnesses, Fehlbaum’s film adds a strong, confident, and respectful new cornerstone to the critical legacy of what happened in Munich 52 years ago which still echoes today.
Read MoreTitus Kaphar wisely kept the power focused on this single family unit, knowing the enveloping intimacy found there was more than enough to speak volumes of trueness and relatability to anyone watching. Exhibiting Forgiveness is as emphatic and resonating of a father-son conflict as any other in recent memory. For many, it will stick with you and hit home like a sledgehammer. More than everything, all of this hurt is worth every reflective second of the artistically melded experience.
Read MoreGoing through this heartbreaking ordeal, you fall in love with these two characters not only in the big moments of rapture, of which there are plenty, but in those little ones where it’s simply the two of them finding their unity and initiative to move forward. After all, true partners are found in honest talk more than pillow talk. Goddamn, the way Andrew Garfield looks at Florence Pugh is simply everything in We Live in Time.
Read MoreThe thing is embellishment couldn’t be more appropriate to venture into the storied origins of a high-concept sketch comedy show. The bawdy and rowdy new film Saturday Night is a fish story version of festooned truths. The stuff of nostalgic backstage lore made with embellishment then is retold in a loosey-goosey “based on a true story” fashion with its own embellishment now. When executed with flair, a good fish story that gets stranger and more exaggerated as it unfolds–and, hot damn, does this one ever do that–can engage and entertain.
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