Magpie is a infidelity thriller that succeeds by creating a husband and wife with very particular personality traits and cranking up the tension. It works fairly well even as it delivers more pointed glances than actual dramatic moments. It stars … Continue reading
Close to You is a Netflix film about a trans man going home for his dad’s birthday and how they all grapple with his absence for five years. I wasn’t particularly interested in this film until I noticed Elliot Page … Continue reading
This’ll be a bit rude, but I’m sure many, many anime films are released in Japan that don’t get an international theatrical release. So why this one? It’s not a bad movie but it is pretty shaggy, unfocused, and unremarkable. … Continue reading
I knew who starred in A Real Pain going into the theater but I didn’t realize Jesse Eisenberg both wrote and directed it. And while he gave Kieran Culkin the showier role, he sure wrote himself something to gnaw on … Continue reading
Lee is the true story of a WWII war correspondent from Vogue Magazine. I sat on this film for a bit knowing only that it stars Kate Winslet as a photojournalist; I had no idea it was set in the … Continue reading
Red One builds a concept and variations on Christmas lore that’s so much better than the movie they stuffed into it. It’s not the first or most unique take on a modernized North Pole, but I like the angle it … Continue reading
Mothers’ Instinct feels like a trashy thriller stuck in first gear. It wants to be sordid and a little bit sleazy but it never figures itself out well enough to take that step. It’s not boring, but it is a … Continue reading
I’m in a continuous struggle with the cinematic complexities and nuances of Hot Frosty. On the one hand, it’s a big box of dumb… on the other hand, it’s inoffensive and sometimes it made me laugh. It’s the kind of … Continue reading
When Netflix calls a movie a “fever dream” in its description, go ahead and believe it. This flick is weirdly unmoored from reality except when it’s not… and except when it is. Early on I uttered “what in hell is … Continue reading
I think my smooth brain (safely ensconced in my skull and of regular human size) just isn’t advanced enough to “get” Rumours. It’s a strange, gaspingly overly long satire of global politics or something. If only a machete-wielding madman had … Continue reading