The Northman (***1/2) The Thread of Time
Written and Directed by Robert EggersBased on The legend of Amieth by Saxo GrammaticusStarring Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, Willem Dafoe There is a […]
Another Look: Almost Famous Bootleg Cut (****) feels real but still too perfect
In Almost Famous, we have all problems wrapped up in a nice little bow with not much more than smiles to remember. There should have at least been some sort of venerial disease as a result of all that messing around.
House of Gucci (*****) – Don’t you want me?
House of Gucci is a powerful and concise film. It gives us the clear vision of what happens when a family inherits a vision that they don’t fully understand or even deserve.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye (***) – All you are is blind
If nothing esle, the movie gives us some depth to what feels like an incredibly trite characterization living in memory.
Belfast (****) Move myself and my family aside…
This is a brief tale that lacks any amount of pretension that might be present in a longer film.
King Richard (***1/2) is a story we need
The most complex parent gets the title of the film, if only because we know, eventually the daughters will get all of the glory. Talk about inspiration. Talk about greatness. Talk about The Williams Sisters.
The Last Duel (***): Good Will Rashomon
The hard thing about period pieces is those who make them are subject to the sensibilities of the time they are being made.
The Green Knight (***1/2) feels like Chaucer
If you like stories with morals that haven’t been re-written in the last 12 years, The Green Knight should entertain. The result feels more entertaining and less tainted by modernity
Criterion: Badlands (*****) The view inside the soulless
Nearly as haunting as the real thing.
Netflix’ Mank (****) – The wins of the father
If they had found a way to at least make the case for the opposition seem plausible, there might be less of a Smokey and the Bandit feel to it all.
Criterion: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (***) is unrelenting horror
As it stands, there is no one that can take it’s cult status away. This will forever be a history making cinematic effort, even if it is almost as annoying as it is scary.
Criterion Ganja & Hess (**) has history on its side
Fair or not, the film that results is worth one time through, and more if you can bear it. I had to stop on my second trip.
Historical Nugget: The Return of the Living Dead (***) – Be a man, Frank
If you find a way to get into the groove of this film and wend your way through the cheese, it will reward you with some very nice moments.
Another Look: American Gangster Unrated (****) feels right
If that sounds like too much to cover in a movie, it’s not. The three hours fly by and justice is served.
Criterion: Further downstream of The Virgin Spring to The Last House on the Left
…it’s remarkable how far a medieval ballad can reach through time, even if what comes out on the other side holds little resemblance to the significance of the tale.
Another Look: Casino (**1/2) is a stale imitation
It’s one of the fruits of the labor of a great career that he’s been able to keep remaking the same film over and over. This doesn’t make the stale fruit taste any better.
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 