Posted in February 2018 …

Review: Fake Tattoos, 2018, dir. Pascal Plante

Review: Fake Tattoos, 2018, dir. Pascal Plante

I shouldn’t be shocked that Pascal Plante’s Fake Tattoos worked so well on me. I’m not a sucker for Before Sunrise riffs. I’m a sucker for good Before Sunrise riffs, and Fake Tattoos is a very good Before Runrise riff. It’s good enough that I almost feel awkward making the comparison. I’ve never heard Plante’s name before, but he clearly … Continue reading →

The Shape of a Career: Sally Hawkins

The Shape of a Career: Sally Hawkins

Those of you who know me have probably picked up on my enthusiasm for literally everything Sally Hawkins does, even things she does in movies that aren’t particularly good (though it’s rare she shows up in movies that aren’t particularly good, excepting Godzilla). So, because I love Hawkins so gosh-darn much, I went deep on the … Continue reading →

‘Black Panther,’ ‘Blade,’ and a Rich Creative Legacy

‘Black Panther,’ ‘Blade,’ and a Rich Creative Legacy

Happy Black Panther weekend, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Instead of writing strictly about Ryan Coogler’s immediately successful, instantly groundbreaking movie, I wrote about Ryan Coogler’s immediately successful, instantly groundbreaking movie in context with Stephen Norrington’s Blade, the first Marvel movie shaped around a black protagonist, and how watching Black Panther reminded me of my experience watching Blade for … Continue reading →

Review: The Party, 2018, dir. Sally Potter

Review: The Party, 2018, dir. Sally Potter

Sally Potter is the typical female auteur in that she is often underappreciated in comparison to her male peers. I happen to think that this is a big dumb failing of movie culture; Potter is superb, at drawing characters, at evoking a sense of time and place in her movies, at constructing sharp-ass dialogue for … Continue reading →

Review: Permission, 2018, dir. Brian Crano

Review: Permission, 2018, dir. Brian Crano

Oh dear! I thought I shared this, but, uh, looks like I didn’t! So here it is, my review of Brian Crano’s Permission, which is maybe the only Valentine’s Day movie anyone needed this year. (Maybe also The Shape of Water. Or Phantom Thread.) I rather liked this, with a couple of specific reservations, but those aside it’s … Continue reading →