Review: Wild Rose
In a genre that seems to be quite of the moment, count Wild Rose as the latest entry into films about female musicians searching for themselves, stardom, love…and sometimes all of the above. From A Star is Born to Her Smell and more, there’s apparently a lot a woman can do with a microphone and a dream. The first feature film written by Glasgow native Nicole Taylor (who boasts a strong resume in television), the film centers around Rose-Lynn Harman (Jessie Buckley, also now appearing in “Chernobyl”), her lifelong love of country music and her long-shot dream of becoming a star. Long shot, to say the least, as we meet Rose-Lynn…
Review: Yesterday
The hardest reviews to write are the ones for greatly anticipated movies that ultimately fall short of expectations. Such is the case with Yesterday, a film that, based on its premise and leading creative credits, should be one that delights from start to finish. Written by the wonderful Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral; Love, Actually; About Time and the best episode of the rebooted “Doctor Who” series, “Vincent and the Doctor”) and directed by the equally talented Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours), Yesterday centers around Jack Malik (a charming Himesh Patel) and his meteoric rise to stardom after a global incident renders him the only person who remembers…
Review: The Dead Don’t Die
Filmmaker Jim Jarmusch is nothing if not versatile, as can happen with a career that spans more than three decades. His early works helped shape a burgeoning independent film scene, while lately he’s indulged in bigger budgets and bolder narratives; 2013’s Only Lovers Left Alive is perhaps one of the best vampire films in the genre, and 2016’s Paterson established Adam Driver as an impressive acting talent beyond the small screen. Jarmusch returns to cinemas this week with The Dead Don’t Die, tackling the zombie film genre as only he could: painfully self-aware, desperate to be funny and so utterly pointless it’s weirdly enjoyable. Corralling an ensemble cast to fawn over,…
Review: The Last Black Man in San Francisco
The debut feature film from Joe Talbot (director) and Jimmie Fails (star), The Last Black Man in San Francisco is a labor of love in every sense of the word, a story these two childhood friends have been crafting for years. While it seems like acclaim and adoration have found them overnight (at least, since its premiere at Sundance earlier this year), only a project that has been nurtured and developed and nudged along with the greatest of care and attention to detail could become a final product as fine and well-crafted as this. Rivaling the likes of Barry Jenkins and his remarkable filmmaking in Moonlight, The Last Black Man in San…
Review: Late Night
I didn’t know it before seeing Late Night, but apparently jokes involving Doris Kearns Goodwin, the prolific and fascinating historian and author (Team of Rivals, The Bully Pulpit), are a sure-fire way to get me to love your movie. The joke is thrown in during an early encounter quality control agent-turned-comedy writer Molly Patel (Mindy Kaling) has with the host of the late night variety show she’s recently been hired onto. Emma Thompson is that host, Katherine Newbury; it’s a role that cements Thompson’s own iconic character along the lines of Meryl Streep and Miranda Priestley. The moment, though fleeting, is indicative of the film’s sharp wit and intelligence throughout. Neither is wielded…
Review: Pavarotti
Ron Howard is at a point in his career (and probably has been for some time) where he can essentially take on whatever projects he likes. He’s long since earned the right to both helm massive blockbusters (most recently 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story) and usher pet projects into the world on his own terms. Such seems to be the case with Pavarotti, a documentary recounting the life and work of larger-than-life opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti. Here, Howard liberally channels his knack for creating an emotional moment with an audience, something typically reserved for third-act miracles in his well-known narrative films (Apollo 13, Backdraft, In the Heart of the Sea), in order…
