“A tribute not to the legendary filmmaker’s techniques but to his restless, questioning spirit, unafraid to dive into the messy overlap between art and life. Yet this is a much kinder, gentler film than any by Bergman, taking a moment to champion the virtues of Sweden’s other chief export ABBA, before ultimately finding a little serenity in the silence.” – North Shore Movies, 10/15/2021
Category Archives: Reviews
HARD LUCK LOVE SONG
“There’s an agreeably rambling, ragtag energy that when it’s cooking has the sidewinding appeal of an old country tune, packed with colorful characters and a lot of stuff happening that stubbornly refuses to rise to the level of story. It only gets into trouble when Corsbie runs out of verses to Snider’s song and attempts to impose a plot on the proceedings.” – North Shore Movies, 10/14/2021
NO TIME TO DIE
“The best Bond since Craig’s initial outing in Casino Royale, and the first since the character’s 2006 re-introduction to remember that these films are supposed to be funny. Thanks presumably to a well-publicized dialogue polish by Fleabag writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, No Time To Die is full of punchy, prickly banter and has a refreshing silly streak.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 10/07/2021
LAMB
“I’m not sure Lamb is ultimately about much beyond atmosphere and arresting visuals, but this hypnotic little whatzit from Reykjavik gets a lot of mileage out of a central visual gimmick so sublime it carries the film over a lot of dead air. Is the image of a baby sheep dressed in people clothes enough to sustain an entire movie? The answer might surprise ewe.” – North Shore Movies, 10/07/2021
THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK
“An anti-nostalgia nostalgia trip, it’s a knotty character study about insular tribes, empty gestures and performative macho rituals full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. No storyteller delights in the subversive anticlimax quite like David Chase, and I worry that this excellent film will be judged against audience expectations it has no interest in fulfilling.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 09/30/2021
OLD HENRY
“Old Henry builds to a bonkers revelation the distributor has requested we critics keep quiet about. I’d never spoil it for you, but what seemed an efficiently executed Unforgiven knockoff sails way over the top with a shocker so silly and grand that I actually applauded while watching the screener at my desk. Days later, I’m smiling just thinking about it.” – North Shore Movies, 09/30/2021
CRY MACHO
“Surprisingly sweet, it’s Clint’s gentlest effort since The Bridges Of Madison County. The less that happens in Cry Macho, the better the movie becomes. You watch the film the way you listen to one of your grandfather or another elderly relative’s rambling stories, ignoring the parts that don’t add up and treasuring the fact he’s still around to tell them.” – North Shore Movies, 09/17/2021
PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND
“Words barely matter in this gonzo mashup of midnight movie references and riffs, a barrage of homages to cult classics of yore so exhaustive it borders on exhausting. By no means should this picture be seen during the day, and perhaps not entirely sober. It’s a hoot while you’re watching, if the kind of fun that fades fairly fast in the morning light.” – North Shore Movies, 09/17/2021
BLUE BAYOU
“An undeniably well-made picture of admirable intentions that becomes a chore to finish watching. It’s too bad because Blue Bayou is the kind of movie you want to like, steeped in local color and gorgeously grainy Super 16mm cinematography. Chon has clearly got talent both in front of and behind the camera, he just needs to take it down a notch or two.” – North Shore Movies, 09/17/2021
THE VOYEURS
“While we’re all currently suffering through the most tediously sexless era of American cinema since the Hays Code, writer-director Michael Mohan’s cheeky erotic thriller harkens back to a happier, hornier time of Skinemax After Dark offerings and unrated VHS director’s cuts. What a pleasure to watch serious craft unencumbered by seriousness of purpose.” – North Shore Movies, 09/13/2021









