Life
There is no escaping the comparison to Alien (full disclosure, Ridley Scott’s Alien is one of my all-time favorite films), but Life is not a cheap copy of the 1979 sci-fi opus.
Personal Shopper
To describe Olivier Assayas’ slate, often times inscrutable Personal Shopper would be to hack into the growth rings of a perfectly opaque mystery.
Raw
Writer and director Julia Ducournau’s sticky, blood-flecked Raw doesn’t necessarily fall into the grisly chambers of body horror even though the film’s carmine color palette screams out to the genre.
Funeral Pyres & Fancy Hats: Cléo from 5 to 7
It’s difficult to process the debilitating sensation of horror in everyday life. Pockets of birds are still perched on tree limbs. Cats tumble on floorboards and chase flowing articles of clothing.
The Last Word
MacLaine burrows into the minutia of Stuart Ross Fink’s limp script, attempting to elevate poorly written dialogue with everything she has (although there’s not much you can do when you’re required to shout “all up in your business” in a suggestive lilt).
Donald Cried
As the night progresses into a face-swatting, tunnel-crawling kaleidoscope of misanthropic immaturity, the screenplay devolves into the same carousel of drama: “What will Donald do to upset Pete this time?”
Kong: Skull Island
The 2005 version directed by Peter Jackson was three hours of boredom. The latest version of the Kong story has amazing special effects, a great cast that sells the premise and some amazing fight sequences.
The Pineapple Universe of Chungking Express
The streets of Hong Kong look violently purple, plum-stained and glistening. Sunglasses shaped like hourglasses plunge against wrinkled bed sheets.
Casting That Almost Happened
At one point, Nicolas Cage was set to play Superman, Edward Furlong was offered the role of Spiderman, and the now woefully unfunny Jack Black was considered for Green Lantern — and plenty of other casting decisions tempted similar fate.
My Life as a Zucchini
My Life as a Zucchini has all the style and angst of Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie but with the real world struggles of Short Term 12
