Category: Reviews
A Tale of Two Satires: “Beneath Us” and “The Hunt”
Ah, the social satire. It is not an easy nut to crack. Indeed, satire of any stripe requires a delicate balance and a tough skin. There are audiences who will never accept the joke at the heart of Jonathan Swift’s “A Delicate Proposal” or Ernst Lubitch’s To Be or Not to Be, and those may…
Marriage Story: The Anatomy of a Break-Up
Marriage Story is an unsparing chronicle of the dissolution of a marriage and its aftermath. Furious, tender, funny and possibly a little hopeful, Noah Baumbach’s film takes us through the stages Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver) travel with their young son, Henry, as they attempt to navigate the agonies and frustrations of breaking…
The Irishman is a masterpiece, De Niro is mesmerizing
TThe expectations were high but Martin Scorsese’s new film has exceeded them with a magnum opus summing up his life’s work. An account of the circumstances that led to the disappearance of infamous Teamsters Union boss Jimmy Hoffa, The Irishman might best be summed up as elegiac. It is elegiac, not only because the story…
Elton John’s Rocketman ‘Not All True, But It’s the Truth’
When celebrities authorize an official story of their life, you might expect a whitewash, glossing over blemishes or unsavory details. Elton John’s authorized biopic Rocketman had been in development for 15 years or more because the artist wanted the film to openly and honestly explore his character, particularly his homosexuality and substance abuse. Coming to…
MIFF Capsule Reviews: Ferrara’s Tommaso, Herzog’s Meeting Gorbachev & Diaz’ Our Mothers
MIFF Capsule Reviews: Ferrara’s Tommaso, Herzog’s Meeting Gorbachev & Diaz’ Our MothersAt this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival, I’m bouncing from film to film at a pretty ridiculous pace. As a result, I’ll be doing my best to provide reviews of as many films as possible. Some will be amply explored. Some will be missed.…