Liyana (Kopp, 2017)
On principle, Liyana is a film I ought to love and not just like.
Category: Featured
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Boy Erased (Edgerton, 2018)
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” is the harrowing, autobiographically inspired story of a woman suffering from postpartum depression who is confined against her will and whose “treatment” drives her… Continue reading "Boy Erased (Edgerton, 2018)"
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Destroyer (Kusama, 2018)
Movie lovers at Chapel Hill’s Filmfest 919 got an early look at Destroyer , a crime drama sure to generate awards buzz for the barely recognizable Nicole Kidman, who plays… Continue reading "Destroyer (Kusama, 2018)"
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Strangers on the Earth (Cook, 2016)
After finishing Strangers on the Earth, I said only half-joking on Letterboxd that it was precisely the sort of film that would have bored me to tears had it been directed by Terence Malick.
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Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc (Dumont, 2017)
The little girl walks and sings. Her affect and gestures are familiar, easily recognizable to anyone who has spent time around children. But the words, translated from French, are not some memorized advertising jingle or relentlessly pounding pop song chorus. They are devout, abstract, and deeply serious. Then she does a somersault, landing in a full cheerleader's split with arms raised triumphantly to the sky. Vive la France! Yay God!
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Favorite Film Series: The Andromeda Strain (Wise, 1971)
I promised myself I would limit myself to no more than one paragraph about the films I didn't pick.
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Nelly (Émond, 2016)
Nelly begins with a well-executed though somewhat conventional scene of a teenaged girl at a microphone. She is singing “Those Were the Days,” and she is stiff and self-conscious. Awkward.… Continue reading "Nelly (Émond, 2016)"
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The Bookshop (Coixet, 2018)
A few years ago, the only used bookstore in my small, rural North Carolina town closed for keeps. I found myself in the shop on its final day, taking advantage… Continue reading "The Bookshop (Coixet, 2018)"