I Love Boosters
I LOVE BOOSTERS is a disorienting rip through numerous ideas, but if recent years have shown anything, it’s that we have to drink from the fire hose and do our best to take action now. Now is not the time for nuance.
All posts by Jim Ross
Zidane, Football’s Cinematic Enigma
Zinedine Zidane has a case to be the most cinematic of footballers. ZIDANE: A 21ST CENTURY PORTRAIT stands as a key pillar of his enduring mystical status twenty years on.
The Saviors
THE SAVIORS has interesting things to say about xenophobia, suspicion, and acceptance, even if it holds its most interesting cards in reserve for a hand it never ends up playing.
The ‘Good Grammar of Civility’ & Zeus’ Law
Conservative commentators may not yet connect with Zohran Mamdani’s words at his inauguration, but cinema heard them and is articulating what civility and empathy are for.
The Odyssey
Nolan’s choice to adapt the Odyssey shows the continuing influence on modern storytelling, and the technical choices are emblematic of Nolan’s domination of modern blockbuster filmmaking.
Blue Heron
BLUE HERON is a gentle demonstration of cinema’s power, and Romvari’s ability to create a tangible, shared experience of something difficult to put into words. The film is one of fuzzy memories & half-truths, but the impression it leaves is firm & enduring.
Backrooms
BACKROOMS is an eerily realised creative vision, but it’s difficult to escape the idea that it takes a suboptimal turn away from the technical strengths that give this adaptation such a firm footing.
Michael
MICHAEL will inevitably attract ire with its depiction of Jackson’s life, or, more accurately, what it seems to omit. However, MICHAEL is also an inexplicably boring film which is bland at best and cowardly at worst.
Save The Ultimate Picture Palace
If cinema is to survive as a community experience, we need to value and protect places like the Ultimate Picture Palace in Oxford, now in the middle of a campaign to secure its long-term future.
Omaha
OMAHA might not employ the most thoroughly crafted methods by grabbing the heartstrings in its fist, but the cast’s performances capture an honest empathy that is difficult to put aside. And maybe you shouldn’t.