A film that, true to its origins, is “full of suspense” while also being remarkably well crafted on all levels, Zola is without a doubt the best film of the summer thus far.
Month: June 2021
LFG is a documentary by and for the casual women’s soccer fan
The new documentary LFG (which every sports fan that’s ever been on Twitter understands to mean “let’s fucking go!”) tells the story of USWNT’s fight for equal pay. It’s a well-made film that gives ample screentime to the remarkable Megan Rapinoe (a huge reason why I had been a season ticket holder for her club team OL Reign for many years). For those that followed USWNT’s fight for equal pay prior to 2019, it’s infuriating. At least it was for me.
Flawed yet fascinating despite itself, False Positive sees Ilana Glazer fully committing in pregnancy horror
A film that works better in theory than in execution, False Positive is still an often unsettling examination of the unexpected horrors of what can happen when you’re expecting.
Harvey Keitel shines in Lansky, a dull and inert portrayal of a retired gangster’s legacy
A biopic that chooses to make use of a framing device that removes all engagement and immersion, Lansky is a massive misuse of an interesting story with strong talent.
F9: in the latest chapter of the Fast & Furious saga, the “F” is for “Family, Family, Family, Family, Family, Family, Family, Family, and … Funny?”
The latest entry in the globe-spanning multi-billion dollar Fast and Furious Saga is the most hilariously stupid thing I’ve seen by a hundred dozen carlengths. Whether you see this as awesome or awful will almost certainly depend on the expectations that you bring to the racetrack.
A film whose bark is worse than its bite, Werewolves Within is a howlingly funny romp
A film with an abundance of heart that wears its charm on its sleeve, it is hard to imagine a more joyous horror-comedy than Werewolves Within
Bad Detectives misses the mark
The concept was a good one and the trailer had me intrigued, but this “buddy detective” style dark comedy fell sadly flat of its potential. The two daughters, Nic and Ping, of life-long friends and partnered detectives are thrown into the seedy underworld of trying to find out why their fathers met an untimely death…
With The Sparks Brothers, Edgar Wright tells you all about his prolific favorite band
A common dictum of storytelling is “show, don’t tell.” With his new documentary about brothers Ron and Russell Mael, self-professed superfan Edgar Wright can’t resist doing a whole lot of both when it comes to Sparks, his favorite band. It is an indication of their relentless productivity that two and a half hours is barely enough time to scratch all the surfaces of a lifelong musical collaboration with roots in another band they formed back in 1967 as undergrads at UCLA all the way to a present day re-discovery and revival.
One of the most incisive films of the year, Les nôtres (Our Own) excavates the simmering racism of polite white society
There are a handful of films that you can say, without a doubt, are absolutely brilliant. From the precise presentation of its visuals to the delicate construction of its story, Les nôtres is one of those films. For reasons that will become abundantly clear, it also is an incredibly difficult one to recommend. However, it is one that, no matter how painful, must be experienced.
Streaming PNB: Wheeldon’s ‘Curious Kingdom’ and Liang’s ‘Veil Between Worlds’
Rep 6 was the final regular season PNB program, though, featuring two world premieres: Christopher Wheeldon’s Curious Kingdom and Edwaard Liang’s Veil Between Worlds, and the PNB premiere of Alejandro Cerrudo’s PACOPEPEPLUTO (2011).