Atabai
Someone is told at one point in ATABAI that “sadness is good for poets” – Niki Karimi’s film is full of sadness but has many skilled poets both in front of and behind the camera.
All posts by Jim Ross
The Power of the Dog
Jane Campion’s THE POWER OF THE DOG is set in the vast open plains of the American West in the 1920s, but its psychological atmosphere is claustrophobic in many ways. The suffocating presence of a hostile relative, the stifling effect of suppressed desire, and overbearing masculinity are all brought to bear on the characters.
Spencer
SPENCER works on a surface level as a characterisation of a woman yearning to tarnish her gilded cage. However, its more lasting impact comes from its use as a microcosm to show the damaging broader character of a society that encourages – and enforces – being proper and not making a fuss above all else.
Eternals
ETERNALS is an odd blend, featuring segments of unusual natural beauty and humanity for a comic book blockbuster. Still, this tonal change is stymied by the need to stick mostly by the formula of its franchise brethren, and the film feels very inhibited as a result of its lack of boldness.
Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest
CANNON ARM AND THE ARCADE QUEST manages to beautifully demonstrate the value of friends and community in helping someone overcome grief and achieve their ambitions in the face of long odds.
The French Dispatch
Not every story in THE FRENCH DISPATCH is a hypothetical page-turner, but the value of each one is clear, and Anderson remains one of the best cinematic authors.
Dune
DUNE may be Denis Villeneuve’s most grand and high-minded entry in the cinematic canon yet, but the relationships and emotions developed in this adaptation of Frank Herbert’s book are as dry as the desert sand on Arrakis.
Passing
PASSING’s sumptuousness frequently tips toward a visual and auditory fussiness that distracts from the flow between and within scenes and the contemporary echoes of Nella Larsen’s source novella.
Bantú Mama
BANTÚ MAMA is a film that never entirely gives its audience the complete picture painted in the mind of its characters. However, by allowing relationships to develop without over-laden dialogue and instead relying on the team’s visual craft and acting skills to sketch out this story, the film sets a touching and engaging tale in … Continue reading Bantú Mama
No Time To Die
NO TIME TO DIE is a viscerally effective send-off for Daniel Craig’s tenure. Still, a deep thematic confusion prevents it from resonating beyond the increasingly narrow confines of what a James Bond movie is seemingly allowed to be.