A Werner Herzog movie can go either way, and there’s always hope that even a failure can be magnificent. It wasn’t promising to learn that the U.S. cut of Queen of the Desert would be shorter than the one screened in Berlin, so I already steeled myself for the latter variety. Unfortunately Queen of the […]
I’ve never seen a movie like Youth, and I’ve seen a lot, including a lot of weird art films. It may have aspects that are Fellini-esque or themes other movies have explored, but Youth presents them like a painting in motion with a soundtrack. Elements of Youth may have precedent in earlier art cinema but […]
I’m always nervous when there’s a movie with finely tuned period details and acclaimed performances about an important subject. It always feels like that movie is going to be cinematic medicine, an exercise in production design. Carol has those elements but is so engrossing, it transcends the superficial trappings of its construction. Therese (Rooney Mara) […]
The Lobster is a science fiction premise that could warrant big budget spectacle, but it’s just weird enough to ensure that it remains small scale and intimate. In the future, being single is illegal. So if your partner leaves or dies, you’re forced to find another, and fast. The singles are gathered in a hotel […]
When I was forced to read Shakespeare in high school, it just seemed like intentionally confusing language to make it harder to follow and seem deeper than it would be if spoken economically. You’d think as Franchise Fred I would at least be into the Henry and Richard sagas but cinema has actually deepened my […]
Mustang is rightfully the official entry from France for the Academy Awards. I never understood why each country could only have one. Don’t we hope they make two or even three Oscar-worthy movies a year? But if there can be only one, I’m glad Mustang is this year’s francophile Connor MacLeod. Five Turkish sisters (Gunes […]
I didn’t love By the Sea but I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt. Any time you get to see a filmmaker’s soul on display, if that doesn’t intrigue you enough for two hours, you’re missing out. Roland (Brad Pitt) and Vanessa (Angelina Jolie Pitt) are an unhappily married couple who spend some time […]