THE BATMAN. Despite the time, space and vitriol I’ve maybe/probably/definitely wasted bloviating about the state of movies in the shadow of the comic book-adaptation monolith, I’ve been a Batman shill for longer than I’d like to admit. Being of a certain age, I saw Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) in the theater with my parents and younger […]
The Miniplex
Posted inArts + Scene
CODA‘s Music
CODA. Although my editor made not-so-veiled threats regarding The Sky is Everywhere — order must be maintained, after all — none were required to compel me to watch this, another emotionally charged exploration of teenage identity. Rather, it was the strange pressure of the impending Academy Awards which, as it does almost every year, makes […]
Posted inArts + Scene
A King Falls and theSky Collapses
THE KING’S MAN. As late as 2019 — which is when, if memory serves, the trailer for The King’s Man began to circulate — I could be frequently heard singing the praises of the Kingsman series. To that point, of course, only two movies had been released: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and Kingsman: The […]
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Making it Look Easy
I WANT YOU BACK. Contrary to my frequent cantankerousness — contrarianism in all things! — I like romantic comedies (almost) as much as the next audience member. Despite their frothiness and sometime ubiquity, romantic comedies are charming by design, an opportunity for attractive people to occasionally act the fool and (if I’m feeling sentimental) find […]
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Del Toro and Scott for Gold
I’ve had occasion, these last 10 days or so, to do some catching up — obvious, probably inevitable reasons. Circumstances notwithstanding, this period of isolation has coincided nicely with a few notable movies from the last year finally migrating to streaming services. And so, in addition to watching all eight episodes of the lamentably, somehow […]
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Kondo-ing Your Queue
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 […]
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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 […]