The stories of Wes Anderson’s films can be best compared to Russian nesting dolls. Throughout their running time, the layers and deeper meanings begin to present themselves. Films like Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel… Read More ›
Willem Dafoe
Director Vasilis Katsoupis’s “INSIDE” is a layered exploration of the things people value and how those things can separate us.
As with every generation, there is a separation in what’s considered normal or acceptable as one comes up into adulthood. Growing up, there was a sense that homes should be filled with photographs of posed family and pieces of art,… Read More ›
Before the multiverse explodes into madness, journey though the final entry in the “Homecoming” Trilogy with “Spider-Man: No Way Home” on home video.
“When you can do the things that I can, but you don’t, and then the bad things happen? They happen because of you.” – Peter Parker, Captain America: Civil War (2016) Since 2016, actor Tom Holland as had the unenviable… Read More ›
Explore the mysteries of Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley” via three home release special features.
Few directors can have a small body of work and yet feel so pervasive, so integral, so inspiring as writer/director Guillermo del Toro. When he’s not writing or directing one of his own projects, he’s producing or raving about someone… Read More ›
Own the final issue of “The French Dispatch” on home video.
Wes Anderson’s 10th film is about as Wes Andersony as it gets. To this point in his career, I’d argue that it’s also the *most* Wes Andersony, for good or for bad. This has delighted his fans (many of whom… Read More ›
Noir “Nightmare Alley” boasts a packed cast and stunning visuals.
“Is he man or beast?” barks Willem Dafoe’s Clem, the man who runs the oddities exhibit at a carnival, enticing people to look down upon an enclosure where a figure is hidden. These people have come to see something horrendous… Read More ›
“The French Dispatch” is Wes Anderson undiluted and bound to delight fans of the acclaimed creative. [Film Fest 919]
There’s been a whole hullabaloo on social media regarding The French Dispatch, with disgruntled Twitter account owners accusing Wes Anderson of relying on the laurels of being Wes Anderson, and like…yeah dude…what do you expect? There’s this expectation in the… Read More ›
Unite the trilogy on your home shelf with “Zack Snyder’s Justice League.”
If a physical copy weren’t in my hand, it would be hard to believe that director Zack Snyder’s original vision for Justice League was anything more than rumor mixed with fan desire. After a horrific personal situation resulted in the… Read More ›
War is on the way in “Zack Snyder’s Justice League.”
There have been stories of gods and monsters for as long as there have been oral traditions in communities — stories of creation, stories of destruction, which warn of great evil or encourage altruism. Some of these stories turned into… Read More ›
Edward Norton’s passion project “Motherless Brooklyn” is now available on home video.
According to actor/writer/director Edward Norton, his relationship with Jonathan Lethem’s 1999 novel Motherless Brooklyn began before the book hit shelves. As he explains in the featurette “Making-Of: Edward Norton’s Methodical Process,” he was tipped off by a friend about the… Read More ›
Despite the trappings of a thoughtful noir, Edward Norton’s “Motherless Brooklyn” adaptation doesn’t seem to coalesce.
The cinematic adaptation of Jonathan Lethem’s book Motherless Brooklyn by Edward Norton (Keeping the Faith) possesses all the hallmarks of a great noir: mystery, a dame in trouble, and a gumshoe in over his head. When you add in a… Read More ›
“Motherless Brooklyn” possesses a strong statement on gentrification, which is mired by cliché noir tropes and bland filmmaking. [Film Fest 919]
Being from Durham, North Carolina, I have seen a lot of changes happen in my city over the last few years. Durham kept a large, mostly black, working-class population due to the employment of so many citizens at the tobacco… Read More ›
Listen: The Cine-Men, Oscars 2019
The Oscars are coming up, so of course Darryl and I have opinions on the nominees. Over the course of six mini-episodes, the two of us dig into Best Supporting Actor/Actress, Lead Actor/Actress, Director, and Best Picture. As each new… Read More ›
“Aquaman” ensures that Arthur Curry is no one’s punchline anymore.
2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice offered global audiences a first glimpse of Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, known in the DC Comics world as Aquaman, swimming away from an intrusive underwater camera in a brief mid-film clip. Later,… Read More ›
Documentary ‘Mountain’ will leave you as breathless as the views.
Many documentaries seek to enrich the lives of an audience through an exploration of a time, an area, or even an individual. These are the expectations set up by traditional documentaries seen the world over and these are the expectations… Read More ›
Zhang Yimou’s ‘THE GREAT WALL’ offers pretty, but hollow fun.
This review was originally published for CLTure on their site on February 18th, 2017. Famed director Zhang Yimou (Hero/House of Flying Daggers) brings the flourish and beauty of Chinese cinema stateside with The Great Wall, a tight action-packed fantasy adventure starring Matt Damon, Tian Jing,… Read More ›