“Roma” (Mexico) Directed by Alfonso Cuaron When is a point-of-view shot not a point-of-view shot, but still very much a point-of-view shot? When Alfonso Cuaron makes a movie. Huh? Okay…let me explain. A strict POV shot is when the camera … Continue reading “Roma” (Mexico)
“Mary Queen of Scots” Directed by Josie Rourke I really wanted to love this film. It’s a great cast with a screenplay written from a respected piece of historical non-fiction, and shot in the Scottish Highlands, the most beautiful place … Continue reading “Mary Queen of Scots”
“Green Book” Directed by Peter Farrelly It’s been a long time since there’s been an On-the-Road/Buddy picture as satisfying as “Green Book”. It may seem like a populist flick, but don’t make the mistake of thinking this is fluff. Within … Continue reading “Green Book”
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” Written and Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen In my mind, there are two types of Coen Brothers films: the deadly (physically or psychologically violent films where the stakes are sky-high), and the irreverent (the … Continue reading “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
“The Favourite” Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos I’ve had a hard time putting my head around “The Favourite”. Not because of its complexity nor its message. It is neither complex nor particularly deep. It was certainly entertaining. The dialogue, a hail … Continue reading “The Favourite”
“A Star Is Born” (2018) Directed by Bradley Cooper Full disclosure. I kinda sorta wanted this film to suck. Being neither a Bradley Cooper nor Lady Gaga fan, I wanted to believe that the hype was due to their gigantic … Continue reading “A Star Is Born” (2018)
“Widows” Directed by Steve McQueen Maybe the worst marketed film of all time, “Widows” is NOT a heist film. It’s a beautiful, yet occasionally violent, study on the effects of family deceit, grieving, greed, ambition, political legacy, the politics of … Continue reading “Widows”
“Clean Up” (South Korea) Directed by Kwon Man-ki This incredibly quiet, but incredibly good feature from South Korea has very little to do with most of the films we associate with that country. Unlike the action/gangster flicks we’ve come to … Continue reading 54th Chicago Int’l Film Fest #20: “Clean Up” (South Korea)
“X – The eXploited” (Hungary) Directed by Károly Ujj Mészáros Let me start out by saying that I am a huge proponent of Hungarian film. Last year I saw FOUR terrific Hungarian films, including eventual Oscar nominee, Ildiko Enyedi’s “On … Continue reading 54th Chicago Int’l Film Fest #19: “X – The eXploited” (Hungary)
“Bohemian Rhapsody” Directed by Bryan Singer Great music, great performance, great style, great dialogue, great editing, and yet… …this is not a good movie. In fact, it’s a pretty bad one. And it all comes down to Bryan Singer’s direction … Continue reading “Bohemian Rhapsody”
The No Spoiler Critic 