Film – Under the Paving Stones

February 8, 2023February 9, 2023

Andor is a refreshing change for Star Wars, and a thrilling and inspiring depiction of revolution

Note: It’s necessary to discuss the plot in some detail in order to discuss what makes Andor great both cinematically and politically, so be warned there are spoilers here. Andor is such a breath of fresh air for the Star Wars franchise, and for television in general. The new series streaming on Disney+, a prequel … Continue reading Andor is a refreshing change for Star Wars, and a thrilling and inspiring depiction of revolution

January 21, 2023January 24, 2023

Peter Jackson’s Return of the King is a supreme classic, but here are some things that bug me about it

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Peter Jackson’s The Return of the King, which completed his triumphant adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I recently watched the entire film trilogy for the first time in probably 15 years. As much as I know these films backwards and … Continue reading Peter Jackson’s Return of the King is a supreme classic, but here are some things that bug me about it

November 26, 2022November 27, 2022

Prey: Groundbreaking Indigenous action-horror that kicks ass

There’s something both enlightening and frustrating about watching Prey, the new Predator prequel set in Comanche country in the 18th century, now streaming on Hulu (or on Disney+ in some regions, including Australia where I am). It’s such a revelation for an action film of this caliber to have a completely Indigenous main cast and an … Continue reading Prey: Groundbreaking Indigenous action-horror that kicks ass

October 17, 2022October 17, 2022

Bore, thud and blunder: The MCU jumps the shark

The thing about panning a Marvel film is you find yourself temporarily allied with the Marvel haters, and that’s annoying. Yes, I found the latest theatrical film in the saga, Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder, incredibly tiresome and pointless, an outrageous waste of talent and resources. The haters see every Marvel film the same … Continue reading Bore, thud and blunder: The MCU jumps the shark

August 29, 2022February 11, 2023

New York’s postpunk revival deserves a better documentary than Meet Me in the Bathroom

You can tell that Meet Me in the Bathroom, the new documentary about New York’s explosive music scene of the early 2000s, is going to misfire from the very first sequence. A 1959 recording of actor Ed Begley reading “Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun,” Walt Whitman’s soaring tribute to New York from his masterwork … Continue reading New York’s postpunk revival deserves a better documentary than Meet Me in the Bathroom

July 28, 2022July 30, 2022

The exquisite films of Satyajit Ray, cinema’s great humanist

Earlier this year, I had the honor of writing the program notes for Sydney Film Festival’s Satyajit Ray retrospective. My task was to watch and write up 10 classic Ray films selected by beloved Australian critic David Stratton for his annual retro program at the festival (and I got to talk to Stratton on the … Continue reading The exquisite films of Satyajit Ray, cinema’s great humanist

May 18, 2022May 26, 2022

LA 92 triggered all my memories of witnessing a historic uprising

I couldn’t have picked a better time to watch LA 92, the 2017 documentary about the 1992 Los Angeles riots. I first watched it in July of 2020, as the U.S. was in the middle of being shaken by a summer-long rebellion against racism and police violence after the murder of George Floyd. LA 92 … Continue reading LA 92 triggered all my memories of witnessing a historic uprising

February 11, 2022February 11, 2022

Firenadoes, koala denialism and hanging loose: Australia’s apocalyptic bushfires prove Don’t Look Up isn’t exaggerating

This is intended as a companion piece to my recent essay about Don’t Look Up. It was originally meant to be a section of that essay, made up of no more than a few paragraphs, but as I wrote, it kept expanding. Eventually I realized I had so much to say about the bushfires here … Continue reading Firenadoes, koala denialism and hanging loose: Australia’s apocalyptic bushfires prove Don’t Look Up isn’t exaggerating

January 28, 2022February 11, 2022

The power of Don’t Look Up is in the details

I went into Don’t Look Up, the new political satire on Netflix directed by Adam McKay (The Big Short, Vice), expecting it to be heavy-handed. That was the verdict of many film critics and others I follow: that its dystopian spoof of climate politics is well-meaning but as subtle as sledgehammer. I was hoping to … Continue reading The power of Don’t Look Up is in the details

August 23, 2021August 25, 2021

Please, stop calling Aliens ‘xenomorphs’

I rewatched Aliens the other night, for the first time in maybe a decade. That’s worth noting since Aliens is quite probably the film I’ve seen the most in my lifetime. I’ve seen it so much because it’s one of my favorite movies, of course, but also and especially because it came out on VHS … Continue reading Please, stop calling Aliens ‘xenomorphs’