“The key to Hackman’s genius is that he was always one of our most vulnerable actors. Beneath that gruff, macho bluster lurks an almost child-like sensitivity. He bruises so easily. Screenwriter Sharp’s dialogue is the gold standard of exhausted, Watergate-era fatalism. Few films embody a gloriously bummed-out era of American cinema better than Night Moves.” – Crooked Marquee, 06/30/2023
“Almost nothing in the picture works. The action sequences are a smeary hodgepodge of poorly composited greenscreen effects and weightless, rubbery digital doubles being tossed around without consequence. There’s no snap to these scenes, none of the unexpected cause-and-effect punchlines that make the earlier movies so much fun to watch.“ – WBUR’s Arts & Culture, 06/29/2023
On this Patreon subscriber exclusive episode of The Decade Project, my bubby Blake Howard and I talk about how the Coen brothers’ melancholy masterpiece Inside Llewyn Davis holds up ten years later. It’s probably my favorite of their films, but I couldn’t bear to watch it again until last week, for embarrassingly personal reasons I get into on the podcast. – One Heat Minute, 06/29/2023
“Gather ‘round kids, and let grandpa here tell you about these things called comedies. See, strangers used to congregate in theaters and laugh at the amusing situations in which movie stars found themselves. Most of these scenarios involved getting laid, or at least wanting to very badly. Alas, this desire has all but vanished from mainstream American cinema.” – North Shore Movies, 06/28/2023
“Asteroid City is an ingeniously constructed hall of mirrors that collapses in on itself like a house of cards, all the while asking big questions about the mysteries of the universe and the ways in which we use science and art to make sense of a cruel world we cannot understand. This is Wes Anderson’s most philosophical film, and one of his very best.” – WBUR’s Arts & Culture, 06/23/2023
“Welcoming The Embrace provides a crash course in our city’s astonishingly rich Black cultural history. It’s a terrific way to launch a celebration of diverse voices and stories from Boston and beyond, doubling as a mission statement for the festival itself. My only complaint about the fleet, 42-minute documentary is that it doesn’t run twice as long.” – WBUR’s Arts & Culture, 06/20/2023
“I’m not sure any actor has flown closer to the sun than Brando did here. The more powerfully Paul attempts to assert himself, the more pathetic he becomes. The star goes to emotional places so vulnerable and humiliating other performers spend their entire careers never getting near the same neighborhood. She’s naked, he’s exposed.” – Crooked Marquee, 06/16/2023
“Keaton’s stiff, mechanical movements in that cumbersome suit have been replaced by smooth CGI stuntwork that’s especially absurd considering this is supposed to be a 71-year-old man. Worst of all, his Batman hasn’t been written as the kinky weirdo of Burton’s movies. He’s just another retro nostalgia prop in a film overwhelmed by references and in-jokes.” – North Shore Movies, 06/16/2023
“It’s disconcerting to see big stars like Jon Hamm and Tina Fey in something this cheap and thrown together. Slattery’s sophomore effort is distractingly incompetent on a basic production level. It looks like a student short full of threadbare sets, sloppy signage and some of the most laughably unconvincing TV chyrons I’ve ever seen in a film.” – North Shore Movies, 06/16/2023
“Daisy von Scherler Mayer’s Party Girl and Gregg Araki’s The Doom Generation didn’t drum up much money at the box office during their initial releases, but both became almost instant cult classics that epitomized a very specific moment of Gen X cool. During my undergrad days as a video store clerk, we couldn’t keep these tapes on the shelves.” – WBUR’s Arts & Culture, 06/16/2023
SPLICED PERSONALITY 