The Banality of Evil in Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest
The banality of evil winds its way around every scene. However, we do feel something. Tension, perhaps, mixed with boredom.
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Category: New Releases
Henson and Brooks Shine in The Color Purple (2023)
Taraji P. Henson does a good Shug Avery while the astonishing Danielle Brooks shines as Sofie, a proud lady who always speaks her mind.
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The Peasants (2023) All That Work for Naught!
Laughable when it should be serious, the movie has no drive. All the artistry in the world is useless if the underlying story is not up to scratch.
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Shayda (2023) Leaves You Underwhelmed.
Zahra Amir Ebrahimi is fine as the title character but her role does not have much depth. The same applies, but even more so, to the supporting cast.
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Fallen Leaves (2023) Is An Affair to Remember
The leads are just about perfect, and the film is enlivened at every turn by the director’s usual penchant for deadpan humor.
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Napoleon (2023) An Epic Disaster of Waterloo Proportions
An epic disaster of Waterloo proportions. The movie has no style and makes no sense. If you are looking for a history lesson, go elsewhere.
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May December (2023) is Todd Haynes’ Persona
Moore and Portman circle each other in a hypnotic dance while the standout performance in the movie is by Charles Melton as Joe, Gracie’s husband.
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Maestro (2023) Bradley Cooper’s Vain Impersonation of a Vain Man.
Leaving out vast chunks of the great conductor’s life, Cooper gives a vain impersonation of a vain man while Carey Mulligan takes the acting honors.
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American Fiction (2023) An Uneasy Blend of Satire and Drama.
What was originally smart and biting becomes cliched and soppy. Wright, however, who never sets a foot wrong, keeps you watching.
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Rustin (2023): Good Lead Performance Defeated by Cliched Script.
Unfortunately, the movie never takes off because of a cliche-ridden screenplay despite Domingo’s great performance.
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All of Us Strangers: The Best Movie Of 2023
The direction of Haigh in this film is exceptional, creating an enthralling atmosphere that visually amazes the audience.
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How to Have Sex (2023) Mia McKenna-Bruce shines in Manning Walker’s debut.
Walker’s film follows three teenage girls on vacation in Greece. Mia McKenna-Bruce delivers a heartbreaking performance as Tara. One of the year’s best.
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Saltburn (2023) Emerald Fennell’s Sophomore Triumph
Fennell’s writing and directing are brilliantly inventive, with humor, tragedy, and horror mixing perfectly. She gets immense support from her cinematographer, Linus Sandgren, whose work here is truly breathtaking.
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Dream Scenario (2023) Runs Out of Ideas….Fast
There are too many scenes straight out of Bunuel’s famously scathing “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie”. Gradually, you feel this movie has been stolen.
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The Killer (2023) Is No Thriller
After a while, you look around for real assassins like Edward Fox or John Malkovich. Skip this one in the cinema. Just stream it on Netflix.
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The Holdovers (2023) Paynless and Underwhelming.
“The Holdovers” is such a jumble of feel-good cliches that it doesn’t have a genuine bone in its body. As for the ending, it negates everything that went before it.
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Scorsese Scores Again With Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
Scorsese directs all of these multiple storylines with great flair. from the broad vistas to the most minute period detail in costume and production design.
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Anatomy of a Fall (2023) and a Spellbinding Sandra Hüller .
The film boasts in German actress Sandra Huller’s prime suspect, one of the cinema’s great performances.
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“Priscilla” (2023) is “Marie Antoinette” Remade by a Lesser Director.
The only part of the movie that works – and gives you a look at what the movie could have been – are the opening scenes on the United States Army Base in Germany.
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Thanks to Bening and Foster, “Nyad” Radiates Dyke Power.
Both actresses are marvelous with Foster giving her best performance in decades.
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Fingernails (2023) Scratching a Chalkboard.
The cast seems to be at a loss, with only Jessie Buckley retaining a small amount of her natural intelligence and dignity.
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She Came to Me (2023) Rebecca Miller’s Sweet and Quirky Comedy Drama.
With “She Came to Me” we have the same quirky Miller, however, although the ideas are there they never come together to form a concrete whole.
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Fremont (2023) The Film’s Nonchalant Charm Wins You Over
In the second hour, the movie enters a different realm due to the appearance of Jeremy Allen White and his palpable chemistry with our leading lady.
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The Road Dog (2023) Road Movie Meets Stand-Up In This Wonderful Comedy.
Doug Stanhope is “The Road Dog” in writer/director Greg Glienna’s inspired blend of the road movie and stand-up comedy..
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Bottoms (2023). Never As Smart As It Thinks It Is!
There is some good stuff here. Former N.F.L running back Marshawn Lynch gets some well-deserved laughs as the club’s faculty adviser.
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Passages (2023) Rogowski + Gay Sex = Art House Smash.
The second homo tryst is the sexiest and most graphic gay moment ever captured in a mainstream film.
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Shortcomings (2023) Review. Randall Park’s Sweet Asian American Comedy.
Min, playing a dislikeable character, manages to make Ben, if not exactly likable, then certainly sympathetic. Both Sherry Cola and Debby Ryan are superb.
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Oppenheimer (2023). Despite Impressive Sequences, the Movie Drags. However, Murphy is Never Less Than Convincing.
In the midst of all this history and all of this chaos, Cillian Murphy gives one of the most intimate and internalized performances on film.
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Barbie (2023) Film Review. Dull, Boring and Nauseatingly Pink.
Sharon Rooney is irritating. She gets more screen time than any other Barbie (after Robbie) and this reeks of WOKE. The reason is her avoirdupois.
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Rien à Foutre (2023) Adèle Exarchopoulos Dazzles!
Adele Exarchopoulos gives a stunning performance as a flight attendant handling the grueling task of working for a low-cost carrier.
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Rotting in The Sun (2023) Self-Referential with Penises Galore.
Now, after ten years in the (relative) wilderness, Saavedra and Silva (and Silva’s co-screenwriter Peirano) have returned with a delicious slice of meta.
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Donyale Luna: Supermodel (2023).
Known “the first Black supermodel”, she was the first African-American model to grace the cover of Vogue – shot by photographer David Bailey – in March 1966.
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The Super Models Documentary (2023). Two Unanswered Questions.
For me, there were two glaring unanswered questions: The first is how differently Christy is treated relative to Naomi, Cindy, and Linda.
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Strange Way of Life (2023) Almodovar By Saint Laurent
As the movie proceeds, we realize this is more Saint Laurent than Almodovar. If only he trusted himself more and let the beauty come from within.
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