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Roma
It’s that time of the year again. Lights are glowing. Music is going. Food is flowing. That’s right — it’s Oscar season! The festive holiday where we live in movie theaters because all the best films of the year appear over the course of three months. However, Netflix might be changing that. The platform that…
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Claudine
“I have known this woman all my life,” Diahann Carroll writes in her autobiography.* “We grew up together in the same neighborhood.” Lest someone might interpret that statement as metaphorical, she continues: “much of the film was shot around 145th Street and Convent Avenue, the very same neighborhood where I was raised…Claudine and I were…
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First Man / Free Solo
Our audio equipment failed us in October, but we’re back and better than ever. Welcome to our first double feature podcast! That’s right, this month you get two movies for the price of one. Starting things off is First Man. After launching two masterpieces into the universe with Whiplash and La La Land, director Damien…
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Carnival of Souls
Nothing quite agitates an artist like asking to explain their art. Perhaps it is the perceived implication that they didn’t communicate effectively, or that you aren’t willing to fully engage with their work, or that you are only concerned with being right. For the artistic partnership behind Carnival of Souls, the agitation is simply the…
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A Star Is Born
Have you ever had a moment so overwhelmingly emotional — chaotically sensory even — that you don’t know what to do when it’s over? If not, try to imagine one. Because the coming topic is essentially a concert film, imagine your favorite artist/band is playing at a large stadium (for some, maybe just remember your…
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Hold the Dark
When critics of all stripes – film, TV, video games, music – write about art that is hard to pin down aesthetically, you’ll often see them use a specific word: dreamlike. Nightmarish if it skews darker. Dreams are an especially apt grounding point for movies because of the way they’re both constructed. There’s a separation…
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Mandy
Who is Nicolas Cage? Oscar-winning actor? Charming leading man? The king of rage? The answer of course is all of the above. His nearly four decade career has run the gamut. He’s been acclaimed and panned. He’s made hits and straight-to-DVD misses. But through it all, Cage is still making movies and we’re still talking…
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Christopher Robin
Winnie-the-Pooh and company return in Christopher Robin, a more adult take on the famous children’s characters. The story opens with Christopher Robin having fun with his animal friends one last time before he goes off to boarding school. Promising that he will never forget them, he bids farewell. Of course, as Christopher (Ewan McGregor) grows…
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Sapphire
“We’re all the children of God,” a black sophisticate remarks to her boyfriend, after he has interacted with the police. “Forget it.” The exchange is brief — the actor isn’t even credited — but her sharp delivery slices right through a thick curtain of denial that’s always hanging around; the hypocrisy of a United Kingdom…
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To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
While the rest of cinematic world rolls on, consumed with thoughts of superheroes, popular film Oscars, and who’s directing the next James Bond, Netflix has quietly been revolutionizing its library of content. Ahead of an award season slate featuring the likes of Alfonso Cuarón, David Mackenzie, and Jeremy Saulnier, the booming streaming company has enjoyed…
