GETTING CURIOUS WITH JONATHAN VAN NESS. Digital Streaming Services need Marie Kondo. Imagine how satisfying it would be to hear the sound of crumpling paper as you dispose of Dexter: New Blood in the bin where the last season of Game of Thrones went. Or else, neatly packing your sentimental ’80s sitcoms that are deeply […]
Broadway Cinema
Posted inArts + Scene
On Television
I can’t speak for anyone else — well, maybe I can — but I’ve been watching a lot of television. For most of a lifetime, of course, but especially in, oh, the last two years or so, I’ve been hooked on the thing. By which I refer to episodic television, in case that distinction was […]
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The Mouths of Babes
LICORICE PIZZA. Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest probably deserves better treatment than I’m about to give it. Not because I dislike or intend to denigrate it. Rather, circumstances may have prevented the fullest possible experience: I saw it in a theater which, while not frightening or dangerous, was off-putting for its unfamiliarity. That and the fact […]
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Sons and Daughters
THE TENDER BAR. It continues to surprise me that George Clooney, of all celebrities, should be a contentious figure. I suppose it speaks to our continually escalating culture of galvanization: He’s too political for a mere actor; he’s not political enough for such a prominent public figure; he’s a liquor mogul who shouldn’t be making […]
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Where the Magic Happens
If you’ve somehow missed out on the Steven Soderbergh-Channing Tatum phenomenon that started as a surprisingly charming movie about a young man’s entry into the world of male strippers and has since enlarged into live performances showcasing humor, desire and sex-positivity via extremely athletic troupes of dancing dudes, well, now you’re ready for me to […]
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Top 14 Movies of 2021
As this week’s issue is a Top 10 of 2021 thing, I have been asked to contribute a Top However Many. As such, the following assemblage represents, in part, some of the movies I saw in this endless eyeblink plague year that offered some sense of respite. Not everyone finds solace in the sort of […]
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News from Abroad
THE FRENCH DISPATCH. From an overwhelmingly auspicious beginning, I find my relationship to Wes Anderson’s work has become surprisingly complicated. Whether due to overexposure, the calcification of my own perspective and penchants or the increasingly distilled products of his vision, I find my level of engagement to the work to be highly variable. From Bottlerocket […]
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Going Home Again
THE UNFORGIVEABLE. Despite the occasional — frequent? — foray into forgettable, if not regrettable, studio pap, Sandra Bullock continues to build on a career as one of the hardest working, most dependable, most bankable stars in Hollywood. And, like fellow stalwart Halle Berry, she persists in doing so despite the active, often aggressive, always malignant […]
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Family Power
THE POWER OF THE DOG. Montana, 1925: Brothers Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George (Jesse Plemons) Burbank, heirs to and proprietors of a massive ranch holding, celebrate their 25th cattle drive together. Well, “celebrate” might be a bit strong. Phil, dominant, domineering and more than a little cruel, commands the respect of the cowhands and, though […]
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In the Fight
BRUISED. With a few exceptions, fight movies are the realm of men, with women on the periphery, inspiring, pleading and worrying, sometimes as emotional surrogates for taciturn male leads. Halle Berry’s directorial debut Bruised, in which she stars as a broken down MMA fighter, skips that route, though it treads some familiar ground, like struggle […]
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Jazzed in Space
COWBOY BEBOP. Anime has never been cooler in America or more cursed in Hollywood. Japan’s stylized animated export, with its high drama and old-school 2D art is enjoying its widest audience, with a flood of titles available on streaming services and Megan Thee Stallion casually rapping about watching anime. Sadly, as movie studios turn their […]
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Star Power
RED NOTICE. For the right project, it’s hard to imagine a better starting trio than Gal Gadot, Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds. They’ve got the sarcasm, charisma and sex appeal that one imagines audiences long for in movie stars. And as these three continue to work steadily in the spotlight, most of us are on […]