Creativity doesn’t have to be some awful, chaotic being that destroys your humanity. Inherently, it could be that little voice in your head that makes your writing unique. The process of achieving recognition in some creative sector is a different kind of chaos that proliferated writer, director, and star Julio Torres in his journey to gaining a work visa in the U.S. and becoming a comedy writer. How hard can it be?
Five years ago, British filmmaker Rose Glass wrote and directed the subversive and controversial Saint Maud, another film produced by A24. Taking a turn away from the horror genre, Glass makes her comeback with the Kristen Stewart led neo-noir film, Love Lies Bleeding. Stewart plays Lou, a chain-smoking gym manager with a shady past. The film is also led by Katy O’Brian, Ed Harris, Dave Franco, and Jena Malone. O’Brian plays Jackie, a traveling bodybuilder training for a Vegas competition, who finds herself in the New Mexico desert. A run in with Franco’s devious character, JJ, allows her to attain a job with Lou’s father, Lou Sr. Shortly after that, Jackie and Lou fall hard in love and give in to every incriminating impulse on the way; sense doesn’t exist in this 1980s microcosm of lawless mania.
Continue reading “Review: ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ is the Raunchy Neo-Noir We’ve All Been Waiting For”
The film Drive Away Dolls seems like it should be great. It’s written and directed by Ethan Coen, a man known for his collaborative directing efforts with his brother Joel Coen on beloved films such as No Country for Old Men and Inside Llewyn Davis. The brothers have also collaborated on writing films like Fargo and The Big Lebowski. But after years of collaboration, the brothers decided to split and make films on their own. Drive Away Dolls is the first Ethan Coen film since that split. The film follows two lesbians, Jamie and Marian, as they take a road trip to Tallahassee, Florida. As they drive, they are unaware of the special cargo they accidentally ended up with and who is after it. Drive Away Dolls is your basic Coen crime comedy. Only it’s not as good.
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Many people are saying the rom-com, specifically those characterized by a very specific but good-enough plot, is making a comeback. Now take that, add some blood and dismembered bodies, and you get Lisa Frankenstein, directed by Zelda Williams.
Continue reading “Review: ‘Lisa Frankenstein’: A Bloody Fun Time”
Sometimes I Think About Dying, directed by Rachel Lambert and based on the short film of the same name, stars Daisy Ridley as lonely office worker Fran. Every day is the same for Fran, until it isn’t. She meets a new coworker, Robert (Dave Merheje), who gives her something to look forward to every day. Although a bit awkward, Fran tries her best to enjoy a dinner and movie date with Robert. Juxtaposed within this narrative is Fran’s wildly imaginative fantasies about dying, what her body will look like post death, and the act of doing the deed. As sad as it seems, Fran is much more interesting than her insecurities.
Continue reading “Review: ‘Sometimes I Think About Dying’: A Poignant Exploration of Depression “
I put off writing about The Beekeeper for a while, mainly because I had a lot going on when I first saw it, but also because I wasn’t sure what I could say about it. Its tense, cleanly shot action had already received much praise; some thought the film’s story was too dumb, others rightly responded, “What’s wrong with that?” This is a film about a beekeeper who’s an ex-agent of a group called The Beekeepers, where characters make various and probably unnecessary comparisons and allusions to bees throughout. If you can’t get on board with that, then this isn’t for you.
From the very first trailer, The Zone of Interest is instantly captivating. The blips of beautifully crafted shots mixed with the unnerving score interspersed with reviews expressing the film’s urgency. The film is written and directed by Johnathan Glazer (Under the Skin, Sexy Beast and Birth) and is loosely adapted from the novel The Zone of Interest by Martin Amis. The film follows Nazi officer Rudolf Höss and his family as they live a shockingly normal life while sharing a wall with the concentration camp Auschwitz. The Zone of Interest makes us confront the unimaginable; forcing the viewer to grapple with the ability of human beings to ignore the unspeakable happening right in front of their eyes.
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The decline of the erotic thriller has left audiences unfulfilled, bored, and frankly over sex in the movies. The unbridled ecstasy of 80s erotica is due for a renaissance, though we’re obviously nowhere near this. Some of us ache for more, and some of us are satisfied with none at all. Miller’s Girl, directed by Jade Halley Bartlett, teeters somewhere in the middle of this, resembling its passionate predecessors, but ultimately succumbing to mediocrity and missed opportunities.
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The story of the Von Erich family is one of triumph and tragedy. To many pro wrestling fans, they are considered royalty. From a young age director Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene and The Nest) had an ambition to create a film detailing the family’s life. Not only were the Von Erichs renowned for their wrestling skills, they were also known for a string of familial tragedies. In his third feature film The Iron Claw, Durkin set out to tell their story.
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Andrew Haigh paints a dreamlike picture in the emotional and beautiful All of Us Strangers. It is Haigh’s most emotional work to date exploring themes of love and loss through the lens of a quiet fantasy. Adam (Andrew Scott) and Harry (Paul Mescal) are the leading men who have a budding love, being the only two people living in a large London skyrise. The building is notably lonely and bare which seems to be something that Adam is used to since the death of his parents during his formative years. Harry provides solace for Adam as he explores what was lost during visits to his childhood home.
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