“Urine for Bad News with ‘The Grudge'”

Hey, I’m just as shocked as you are that they went with my suggested headline, but life’s just full of surprises. Continue reading →

Review: The Polka King, 2017, dir. Maya Forbes

I’m happy enough to sneak a terrible-on-purpose play on Shakespeare into my review of Maya Forbes’ very good The Polka King that I don’t mind my reference to Phanuel being cut from the final copy. Take that bad with the good, or maybe in this case the bad with the very bad. Whatever. I don’t know. … Continue reading →

Review: The Voices, 2015, dir. Marjane Satrapi

“There’s nothing wrong with talking to your pets. But if they start talking back, well, that’s a cause for concern. Such is the magical realist scenario director Marjane Satrapi explores in The Voices. Jerry (Ryan Reynolds) is an upbeat and peculiar factory worker who spends his time at home having conversations with his cat, an … Continue reading →

Review: Animal Kingdom, 2010, David Michôd

If there existed a “Best Debut” category at any of the self-aggrandizing awards shows which infect popular consciousness during the winter months of the year, then David Michôd would be a shoe-in. His very first feature, Animal Kingdom, isn’t ostentatious or glitzy; it’s far too self-assured to rely on gimmicks, adroitly made with the confidence … Continue reading →