‘LICORICE PIZZA’ a Chaotic Meshugas of First Love in ’70s So-Cal

November 19, 2021 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Alana Haim, Bennie Safdie, Bradley Cooper, Cooper Hoffman, Licorice Pizza, paul thomas anderson, Sean Penn, Tom Waits 1 Comment

She wants the attention of the whole world. He just wants her attention. Tale as old as time. In Paul Thomas Anderson’s spin on a coming-of-age rom-com, Licorice Pizza, the he in question is a child actor and young upstart. His name is Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman, son of the late, great Phillip Seymour Hoffman and a dead ringer for his progeny) and he’s destined for great things. She has drifted through life. Her name is Alana Kane (Alana Haim, a wonderful find) and she takes shit from no one. Their paths collide in line at Gary’s high school yearbook photoshoot. She’s working the gig. He’s 15. She’s 25. Maybe. He invites her to dinner. She hesitates. “I just met the girl I’m gonna marry,” Gary tells his younger brother. He might have. Read More

SIFF ’19: Zom-Com ’THE DEAD DON’T DIE’ Is Stiff Attempt at Satire

June 6, 2019 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Adam Driver, Bill Murray, Iggy Pop, Jim Jarmusch, RZA, Selena Gomez, SIFF, SIFF 2019, Steve Buscemi, The Dead Don't Die, Tilda Swinton, Tom Waits Leave a comment

As if struck with rigor mortis, Jim Jarmusch’s take on zombies is a DOA satire of sorts, one that’s much too self-aware for its own good. Foregoing the traditional scares of an undead creeper, Jarmusch swings and misses trying to put the “dead” in deadpan comedy. Even his pairing of stars Adam Driver and Bill Murray remains something that sounds better on paper than actually works in this context, their synchronized low-energy, unfazed drift through the world of the undead unable to get much of a rise. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN’

October 12, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Danny Glover, David Lowery, Elisabeth Moss, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Robert Redford, Sissy Spacek, The Old Man and the Gun, Tom Waits 2 Comments

There’s a timeless charm to The Old Man and the Gun, easily observed in the breezy chemistry of its two elegant stars. The sparkle dancing in Robert Redford’s eye reflects off the Golden Era glimmer of Sissy Spacek’s gentle curl of a smile. Their attraction is palpable, enchanting. Like sweet senior citizens slow dancing to a Sinatra classic. Imported from the height of 1970s quirk, this true story is cool in much the same way a stand-up bass is cool; it’s an old-timey classy caper, outdated though it may be, that serves as a fitting send-off for the always reliable Redford. Read More