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Sundance ‘26: ‘THE GALLERIST’ is A Frenetic Art World Satire Hoisted on Its Own Petard 

Cathy Yan’s absurdist satirical comedy The Gallerist may attempt to be an on-the-nose skewering of the art world, but even committed performances from its all-star cast can’t make up for weak jokes and thin satire. Natalie Portman stars as Polina Poliski, an ambitious and unscrupulous gallerist who, in the midst of Art Basel Miami, is confronted with an absurd situation: after a colorful confrontation, a hackneyed, rival art influencer accidentally impales himself on one of the statues her gallery is featuring. Rather than call for help, Polina sees a publicity opportunity. She decides to “curate” his corpse into art. The piece goes viral almost immediately. And so begins a countdown to sell the “art” before it’s discovered for what it actually is. Read More

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Anarchic and Dumb ‘BIRDS OF PREY’ is Pure Fun-Loving DCEU Bombast 

I’m only going to write out this whole title once so enjoy it while it lasts. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a movie that’s as excessive, unedited and utterly ridiculous as its title; a go-for-broke, R-rated, comic-book-inspired joyride through the most colorful, femme fatale-populated corners of the DC Extended Universe. Led by a cutesy head-butt of a performance from superstar Margo Robbie, Birds of Prey is a do-over of sorts for the much-maligned Suicide Squad, preserving its annoying pinball storytelling structure (the editing in this movie often stops momentum dead in its tracks) but delivering on the promise of unruly antiheroes actually being quite a bit of fun to watch.  Read More