As someone who pays their bills by watching and then writing about movies, I don’t really get to differentiate between movies that are “for me” or aimed at a completely different demographic. I watch it all. And I take that seriously. I go into every movie genuinely hoping for the best and don’t critique the […]
Film
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John, Yoko, Oakland, Punks and So Much More
An April indie film roundup
There are a ton of low-budget, international and just plain off-the-radar films coming out over the next few weeks — most of which deserve at least a chance to find an audience. With advertising budgets that are unable to compete with what the larger studios are able to throw at their movies, I dove into […]
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Satired
“Death of a Unicorn” misses the point
How smart does a satire really need to be? This has been on my mind since the release of Bong Joon Ho’s fun but flawed “Mickey 17” when I realized that if an explosive filled with ideas is dropped on America, maybe there’s no room for subtlety anymore — especially if it needs to land […]
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A Penguin, a Princess, a Parent, a Pratt and a Pesci Impression
March at the movies
March has been a fairly middling month for movies so far. Don’t get me wrong, there have been a couple of solid cinematic offerings, but those have felt more like aberrations than the norm. This week, I watched five new movies hoping for some magic (I found some), but mostly what I discovered was something […]
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The Spies Who Loved One Another
“Black Bag” revels in elegant espionage
Can we agree that Steven Soderbergh is one of America’s most exciting, influential and innovative filmmakers currently working? Or, are his movies not “sexy” enough to elevate him to the ranks of artists like Hitchcock, Scorsese, Godard and Truffaut? Actually, I don’t really care if we agree: I’m calling it. Since 1989’s “Sex, Lies, and […]
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Late-Stage Existentialism
Bong Joon Ho takes slapstick to space in “Mickey 17”
I‘ve been saying this for a long time and feel no need to refute myself now or at any time in the near future: South Koreans make the best movies in the world. Bear with me while I show my work. In the 1950s and ’60s, we had filmmaking innovators like Han Hyung-mo and his […]
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Heed the Call
A meditation “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”
Uncle Fred has died. He died in the street across the way from a brothel in the middle of the night. Shula, Fred’s niece, is on her way back from a costume party where she dressed as Missy Elliott from the music video for “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly).” When she finds his body, she […]
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Just an Honor to be Nominated
It’s time to predict the 2025 Oscar winners
The time has arrived for the 97th annual Academy Awards, and you have more options than ever to watch them. You can either tune into your local ABC affiliate, stream it live on Hulu or YouTube TV or you can attend the BendFilm Gala and Watch Party (which starts at 3:30pm at the Unitarian church) […]
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Heavy Hangs the Shield
“Captain America: Brave New World” loses focus
I know it’s not cool to still like Marvel movies because they’re apparently the nadir of cinematic excellence, but I do… even when they keep letting me down. There are two specific reasons why I keep turning up at the theater on opening weekend for this forever franchise: 1) After 35 movies and 26 shows, I’m […]
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Love, Sheep and Other Disasters
Four movies, one man
February has been a mellow month for movies so far, with studios front-loading theaters with the midsize movies they don’t have a ton of faith in gaining box office momentum. This is normal as the studios usually wait until after the Oscars to start leaning into the films they’re excited for. February is historically when […]