Posted in October 2015

Interview: Emma Donoghue, Room

Interview: Emma Donoghue, Room

“It’s only October and Room, the latest film from Irish director Lenny Abrahamson, is already the subject of much Oscar buzzing and hyping. If the chatter feels premature, it’s only because of the film’s recent win at the Toronto International Film Festival, where TIFF-goers bestowed it with the coveted People’s Choice Award; six out of … Continue reading

TV Review: The Muppets, 1.05, “Walk the Swine”

TV Review: The Muppets, 1.05, “Walk the Swine”

“Apart from a wasted C-plot, “Walk the Swine” sees The Muppets continuing on the same course correcting trajectory as “Pig Out.” That episode, perhaps more than the three that precede it, brimmed over with the sort of Muppety humor we expect from any narrative that revolved around them; what it lacked in forward momentum, it … Continue reading

Interview: Crystal Moselle, The Wolfpack

Interview: Crystal Moselle, The Wolfpack

“Crystal Moselle’s The Wolfpack sounds like the stuff of fiction on paper, but, of course, the film is drawn from real life. The doc tells the story of the Angulo clan, a family living in a Lower East Side apartment in New York City, though “living” doesn’t quite describe their delimited existence. The Angulo children … Continue reading

TV Review: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, 3.05, “Halloween III”

TV Review: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, 3.05, “Halloween III”

“The worst thing about “Halloween III” is that it’s predictable. The best thing is that the predictability doesn’t matter. In this, Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s third annual All Hallow’s Eve showdown between Jake and Holt, the episode’s madcap essence is what matters most, though there’s plenty worth cheering about as regards the substance of the story, too. … Continue reading

Review: Extraordinary Tales, 2015, dir. Raul Garcia

Review: Extraordinary Tales, 2015, dir. Raul Garcia

“Extraordinary Tales, a seasonal piece of spookery by Raul Garcia, means well but haunts only half-heartedly. The film is a meta-monument to the works of Boston-born, Baltimore-dead Gothic-Romantic wunderkind Edgar Allan Poe, chiefly his short stories but with a side helping of poems: “Annabel Lee” and “A Dream Within a Dream” start us off alongside … Continue reading

Review: The Assassin, 2015, dir. Hou Hsiao-Hsien

Review: The Assassin, 2015, dir. Hou Hsiao-Hsien

“Hou Hsiao-Hsien made a wuxia film. That career choice makes logical sense in a vacuum: Hou is positively obsessed with history, and history, more so than fantasy, is wuxia’s bread and butter. But there’s little in Hou’s body of work aside from his preoccupation with the past to suggest an interest in swordplay. He’s made … Continue reading