Well, you can’t win ’em all. Thought exercise: Even if I did like Suspiria and Hereditary (they’re bad), I’d probably put Mandy ahead of them both. Mandy is a distinct horror throwback, but the film feels current, of the moment, a time capsule for reviewing its era sans wistful nostalgia, and it frankly stands to move the genre forward in … Continue reading
“Hmm,” you’re saying, checking movie listings, trying to figure out what exactly you should consider going out to the movie theater palace to see, gauging whether or not this movie or that movie is worth spending your money (which you can earn back) and your time (of which you have a finite amount as a … Continue reading
It happens to us all: We crib, subconsciously, from the books and movies and shows and plays and such that make up our creative genetic material, whether when we’re writing our own books or movies or whatever, or writing about others’ books or movies or whatever. In the case of Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, that mental bleed wound … Continue reading
I didn’t share this the other day because…I’m…lazy, I think? I gotta be honest, keeping this ol’ sucker up to date is a chore on my middling days (and don’t worry, it’s a joy on my best days). Also, I am never sure what the best way is to sum up the Criterion round-ups. We watched … Continue reading
Here we are, gang: Year end time. Time for the year to end. Time for the lists. Time for critics to tell you all what is best in this year that is ending. Yadda. I wrote about the new Frederick Wiseman film. You probably didn’t know a new Frederick Wiseman film even came out this year, did … Continue reading
This is maybe the first Films By Women spotlight I’ve done where I am guilty of not seeing one of the movies on the list, or, in the case of Kino Lorber’s Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers set, any of them; I didn’t have an “in” to score a review copy, so I had to review this more … Continue reading
Look, I really can’t explain Robin Hood to you, even in two frigging articles; it’s an inexplicable movie. On the one hand, he’s Batman for whatever dumb reason. On the other hand he’s Chris Kyle. I don’t get it. It’s fine to try and update classic characters of yore like this guy, but I’m not sure the … Continue reading
I wonder if I’m being overly critical of Twilight here, suggesting that it’s Twilight‘s fault YA has apparently moved on from genre to more reality-based material; I do very much loathe Twilight, because I love hewing to popular opinion, but at the same time I’m grateful for it as a basis for the careers of Robert Pattinson … Continue reading
You may remember that two years ago, I had very unflattering things to say about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, allegedly a “spin-off” from and “prequel” to the Harry Potter films, but more honestly an attempt at squeezing a few bajillion more dimes out of J.K. Rowling’s now-classic YA series. To paraphrase Sarah Silverman in Popstar: … Continue reading
The operative word here is probably “relatively,” because even the very first Rambo movie, which, of course, you know is called First Blood*, isn’t exactly “grounded” as in “realistic.” I suppose there’s some element of realism in the sense that a guy like John Rambo would probably be pretty hard to catch and nail down if he … Continue reading
A snafu in my latest for Men’s Health, a snag, let’s say, in my multi-point praise for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and my case against peak TV: Apparently, per cast member Zoe Kazan, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs was never conceived as a TV series, despite months of reporting that the Coen brothers “retooled” the series as … Continue reading
And here we are, faced with the daunting prospect of a new “100 best” list, this time for all the science fiction films out there. As is usual tradition, I must offer my veiled protest at a few of the movies listed here: Some are good, but too young to really belong on a list … Continue reading
History is written by great rivalries. Montague and Capulet. Hatfield and McCoy. Sean Connery and Roger Moore. The Red Sox and the Yankees. Washing funky drawers or flipping ’em inside out for one more day’s use. Donald Trump and human decency. It goes on. I’ve been thinking about this a bit recently on account of … Continue reading
Two things: The original title of this piece, or, more honestly, the suggested title, was “Chris Pine‘s Wood.” Obviously that got nixed, for reasons I can appreciate and agree with. I forgot about The Spy Who Dumped Me, which has some impressive male dong and balls on display, and was reminded by a dear friend after the … Continue reading
Today’s recommendation for a good life: Talk to James DeMonaco. Doesn’t really matter the context or the topic. Just, if you ever get a chance to chat with him, do. He’s a blast to confab with. I know I had a good time as we dug into 2018, the year of The Purge franchise, from The First … Continue reading
Want some words on the October Criterion Collection slate? As you wish! …look, I had to do it. I didn’t write about The Princess Bride; I had some Shampoo in my eyes. (I had to do that, too. Full of applesauce today, I am.) But in case you can never get enough of The Princess Bride, we have that. We … Continue reading
And onward we press, writing about the best films to open in years ending in “8.” This time, it’s 1988, the fourth year of my life, and also I guess a year filled with some pretty good movies, assuming that’s more important to you than preschool-aged Andy. Whatever. Priorities, right? I wrote a bit about Beetlejuice, … Continue reading
Clever subheadline: Because anniversary beers can be delicious, just like other beers that have nothing to do with an anniversary. Figuring out how to make a beer to commemorate the birth of your brewery isn’t an easy feat. It’s an abstract feat, even. But if you’re creative enough, you’ll crack the code, as the brewers I … Continue reading
