I’ve always been a fan of Tatum O’Neal’s. We’re about the same age and, like everyone else, I was amazed by her first (Oscar winning) performance in Paper Moon, which is as close to a perfect film as any of us are likely to see. She still holds the record for being the youngest Oscar…
Denis Villeneuve’s seventh feature is easily his most ambitious, and his best. It carries his strong and singular cinematic voice, is spookily rich in atmospheric and seemingly authentic detail, is expertly crafted and chock full of beautiful performances. Unfortunately it also suffers from Villeneuve’s propensity to wallow in ponderous self-satisfaction, and its storytelling is at…
There is a strong argument to be had that Macbeth is the best play ever written – better than Hamlet, better than King Lear. It’s leaner and cleaner than those plays, with a relentless narrative drive, exceptional characters and an absolute cracker of a plot. It’s a natural for big-screen adaptation, and there have been…
Finally a film that I can say is really solid all around. Sicario is a dark, tense, drama/thriller about the drug war at the U.S. and Mexico border that offers a perspective of that war, and provides a strong narrative story as well. Emily Blunt plays Kate Macer, an idealistic FBI tactical agent that gets…