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)"
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Puzzle (Turtletaub, 2018)
Check out Ken’s full review at The Porch Magazine
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An Interview with God (Lang, 2018)
An Interview With God emphasizes the relationship with God over the semantics of theology.
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Lost Girls
A pair of new films just off the festival circuit focus on the inner lives of young women with grown-up problems.
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Hope Springs Eternal (Newell, 2018)
Someone I loved died of cancer a few years ago. I spent a good portion of Hope Springs Eternal wondering what she would have thought about the film and trying… Continue reading "Hope Springs Eternal (Newell, 2018)"
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Blue Desert (2013) Movie Review
Deserto Azul [Blue Desert], a Brazilian movie, follows Ele (Odilon Esteves) in a futuristic setting trying to find peace in a time where distractions and emptiness thrive. What starts as… Continue reading "Blue Desert (2013) Movie Review"