Tag: Film Reviews

Puritan New England Is Terrifying In “The Witch”

I’ve been hearing outstanding things about Robert Eggers’ The Witch since its Sundance Film Festival premiere last year. Eggers won the festival’s Best Director award, and the film was instantly picked up by the ever-growing A24 for release this year (this was due to their slate of films released in 2015, including the Oscar nominated Room). Everyone from Stephen King to the Satanic Temple has given the film their blessing. While it was almost impossible to wait that long given the hype preceding its release, I’m glad I finally caught up with the first great film of this year.

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“JOY” Is A Misfire On All Fronts

Jennifer Lawrence and David O. Russell have made three feature films together since 2012. Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle and now JOY. It’s easy to see why, as O. Russell has directed her to 2 Oscar nominations, and one win. He also gives her the space to breathe, something she doesn’t receive in The Hunger Games films. While I’ve not always agreed with Lawrence’s casting in these roles (she’s way too young) she has delivered some compelling moments, even if it never amounts to a whole performance.

JOY, however, is O. Russell’s messiest film thus far, with Lawrence’s casting sticking out like a sore thumb.

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“The Revenant” Review

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I had to sum up The Revenant in one word, it would be: grueling.

That’s not a knock on the film’s quality by any means, though it doesn’t always make for an easy viewing experience. As with his last film, the Best Picture winning Birdman, director Alejandro González Iñárritu continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible when it comes to filmmaking. It’s funny, because there are some parallels between Riggan Thomson, the main character of Birdman, and Iñárritu himself. Where Riggan was tasked with proving himself as a ‘real actor’ and adapting a novel into a stage play (which he was also the star of), Iñárritu has attempted to best himself with the largest, most visually arresting film of his very esteemed career.

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