Reviews In the gradual but somehow instantaneous acceleration of time, wherein it seems to expand and contract with no regard for our pleas and protestations, I have found my movie-nerdiness largely subsumed by what I’m told is “real life.” Going back to the VHS/DVD rental days, I would stage my weekends with a dozen hours […]
John J. Bennett
Posted inArts + Scene
To Look upon Monsters
Reviews First, a few words on Welcome to Marwen, which I have not seen and do not intend to. When trailers began to appear months ago, touting it as the most original movie of the year (I’m paraphrasing), I was decidedly non-plussed. And so when the forecasts came in estimating a 50-60 million dollar box […]
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Stand-out Movies of 2018
Reviews I’ve been burning down what little is left of 2018, using ethanol for an accelerant as is my wont. But I’ve also, after all this time, been watching The Great British Baking Show on Netflix. I resisted it for so long partially because its wildfire popularity and my sullen contrarianism seemed impossibly incompatible, and […]
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Sticking to the Story
The Mule Reviews THE MULE. Because he works so much — with no indication of flagging now — Clint Eastwood’s name comes up a lot in this column. I’ll spare everyone the dull recitation of his recent resume and simply say I’ve found his directorial output of the last decade equally confounding and revelatory. There […]
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Dark Horror, White Christmas
Reviews CAM. As excited and outspoken as I’ve been in recent years about contemporary horror movies, the genre’s groundswell of creativity and renewed excitement at the theatrical experience, this weekend gave me pause. Because as much as I genuinely believe that the horror genre, at least as defined by the best contemporary examples, may well […]
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Settling Debts
Reviews WIDOWS. When an artist arrives at a mastery of his or her form, the resulting work sometimes also highlights the masterful efforts of fellow contributors. This is truer in cinema than in most other media, of course, founded as it is on necessary collaboration. Some directors would deny this, perhaps arguing that their role […]
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Tragedy and Misanthropy
Reviews Sharp-eyed readers will likely note the absence of a review of Widows, Steve McQueen’s heist movie, which also appears, from this distance, to be something of a feminist call to arms. I say “appears” because the vagaries of real life prevented me from seeing the thing in time for my holiday-accelerated deadline. I’ll write […]
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An Unexpected Crime Thriller
Reviews CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? is based on the autobiography by Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy), a real-life biographer who began writing magazine profiles for the likes of Katharine Hepburn in the 1960s and made it to the New York Times bestseller list. It’s a squalid little gem of a film, it’s a tale of […]
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Sharper than Ever
Previews HALLOWEEN. John Carpenter remains one of the largely unsung heroes of 20th century American popular cinema, whose work is more influential than widely discussed and almost a genre unto itself. Starting with Dark Star (1976), Carpenter has been steadily building a catalog of hugely entertaining, weirdly stylish homages to/syntheses of classic monster movies, space […]
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First Man Misses its Moonshot
Previews FIRST MAN. “Hey Girl” memes and references to The Notebook (2004) aside, Ryan Gosling has become one of the most versatile, self-challenging leading men in Hollywood, with a constantly growing filmography to reflect it. Now he works almost exclusively on major releases for prestige directors but he brings intense focus and emotional depth to […]
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Venom Has Teeth
Reviews VENOM. As much as I am loath to describe and discuss yet another Marvel movie (where are the emojis on this thing?), I admit a sense of morbid curiosity with this one. I’m prone to root for the underdog and, even when that dog isn’t exactly under anything (see Deadpool 2), a lower profile […]
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Long Nights
Reviews NIGHT SCHOOL. Kevin Hart, like his frequent costar Dwayne Johnson, lives by hustle. One of the biggest stand-up comics in the world, he came by it honestly, after decades working his way through thankless club dates and TV development deals that went nowhere, until he became the sort of entertainer who holds arenas in […]