Most Popular Archives - Page 7 of 17

INTERVIEW

Maria Bakalova On SXSW Debuts ‘WOMEN DO CRY’, ‘BODIES BODIES BODIES’, Fame, Fear, and the Patriarchy

Maria Bakalova is a star. The Borat Subsequent Moviefilm breakout not only captured national attention as Borat’s fictional daughter Tutar Sagdiyev in the 2020 mockumentary but she earned an Academy Award nomination for her efforts. Complete with uncomplimentary prosthetics and raggedy apparel, Bakalova fearlessly faced down judgmental southern debutants and, later, Rudy Giuliani’s roaming hands. But...

Matt Oakes · Mar 10, 2022

REVIEW

Noirish ‘THE BATMAN’ Reveals Man Swallowed By Mask

We’ve seen the man become the bat plenty of times. In Matt Reeves’ The Batman, we see the bat become a man again. The Batman, a singularly gloomy noir caper that feels stylistically more akin to Se7en than The Dark Knight, presents one of the most distinctive versions of the iconic “superhero” (that term is...

Matt Oakes · Mar 1, 2022

FESTIVAL

Sundance ’22: ‘CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH’ Channels ‘The Graduate’ for Zoomer Generation

In life, one always has the option of just being nice. With the endearing SXSW Grand Jury Prize winner Shithouse – an overtly sensitive college-campus drama that riffs on the sub-genre of conversation-driven romance films like Before Midnight – and now with Cha Cha Real Smooth, writer/director/star Cooper Raif has proven this to be his...

Matt Oakes · Jan 23, 2022

FESTIVAL

Sundance ’22: Cringe Turns Utterly Chilling in Knockout Psychological Horror ‘SPEAK NO EVIL’

There are certain moments in life when everything in our body tells us to run away from a situation but we still hesitate because we want to be polite. Maybe it’s a weird conversation with a glassy-eyed drunk we got trapped in at a fundraiser. Or a flirtation turned suddenly uncomfortable with some girl we...

Matt Oakes · Jan 22, 2022

REVIEW

Sundance ’22: ‘EMERGENCY’ Effectively Mixes ‘Superbad’, ‘Blindspotting’

A poignant, prescient ode to Black friendship, ‘Emergency’ is a killer dramedy from Carey Williams that explores the specter of a police encounter as two best friends navigate a tough…

Matt Oakes · Jan 20, 2022

REVIEW

‘RED ROCKET’ is Magic Mike Meets Joe Dirt A.K.A. It’s Glorious

A Texan ballad of a dirtbag ex-porn star, ‘Red Rocket’ is a sidesplittingly funny and brutally honest character study from writer-director Sean Baker. Its uncomfortable subject matter will be a…

Matt Oakes · Dec 9, 2021

REVIEW

Del Toro’s ‘Nightmare Alley’ A Sordid Tale of Geek Love and Snake Oil

A B-movie carny noir shot with the handsome care of a prestige picture, ‘Nightmare Alley’ is a gloomy product firmly in Del Toro’s wheelhouse, and the Oscar-winning director knows just…

Matt Oakes · Dec 2, 2021

REVIEW

Princess Diana Feels the Oppression of Royal Tradition in Masterful ‘SPENCER’

Pablo Larraín and Kristen Stewart achieve wonders in the awards-destined Princess Diana biopic 'Spencer'. A handsomely-mounted portrait of strained poise under royal expectations, the artful biographical drama boasts sumptuous production…

Matt Oakes · Nov 4, 2021

REVIEW

Sweat and Tears: Villeneuve’s Breathtaking Space Opera Epic ‘DUNE’ Rules

Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune’ is a science fiction spectacle of epic proportions with an indomitable cast, state-of-the-art visual effects, and an undercurrent of adult-tilting thematics running throughout. A masterwork only complicated…

Matt Oakes · Oct 18, 2021

REVIEW

Psychosexual Fever Dream ‘TITANE’ Pushes All the Right Buttons

‘Titane’ sees Julia Ducournau use expressive body horror and ostensibly insane plotting to explore the very-real transformative nature of childbearing. A startling and genuinely thrilling work of avant-garde brilliance.

Matt Oakes · Oct 3, 2021

← NEWER
1
…
5
6
7
8
9
…
17
OLDER →

MOST POPULAR