[Note: This review also appeared on Film Festival Today.] La La Land (Damien Chazelle, 2016) From its exuberant opening musical number, set … More
Category: movie reviews
In Weary “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Take on the Death Star
[Note: This review also appeared on Film Festival Today.] Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Gareth Edwards, 2016) Gradually, over the course of … More
Ho, Ho, Ho: “Office Christmas Party” Delivers Just Enough Laughs to Mostly Justify Its Existence
[Note: This review also appeared on Film Festival Today.] Office Christmas Party (Josh Gordon/Will Speck, 2016) There is something both comfortably and … More
Rodricks, Reed and DeLibero on the 70th Anniversary of “The Best Years of Our Lives”
Today, Linda DeLibero – Director, Film and Media Studies, Johns Hopkins University – and Christopher Llewellyn Reed (that’s me) – Chair and Professor, Department … More
2 Pieces @hammertonail: Review of “Woman on Fire” + Interview with Director Otto Bell of “The Eagle Huntress”
In the past few weeks, Hammer to Nail posted a couple of pieces of mine: a review of Woman on Fire, a documentary about … More
“Manchester by the Sea” Is a Moving (and Messy) Meditation on Redemption
Manchester by the Sea (Kenneth Lonergan, 2016) Manchester by the Sea is only the third feature film from writer/director Kenneth Lonergan, … More
Mostly Entertaining “The Duelist” Is a Revenge Tale with a Russian Twist
The Duelist (“Дуэлянт”) (Aleksey Mizgirev, 2016) A very silly, if often dramatically effective, confection of a 19th-century period thriller, the new … More
“Nocturnal Animals” Suffocates Us in Its Constrictive Embrace
Nocturnal Animals (Tom Ford, 2016) Until just recently, it would have been hard to imagine seeing a film that would make Nicholas Winding … More
In “Moana,” Disney Offers a Powerful and Delightful Fantasy of Female Derring-Do
[Note: This review also appeared on Film Festival Today.] Moana (Ron Clements/Don Hall/John Musker/Chris Williams, 2016) Moana, the 56th animated feature from the Walt … More
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” Is Charming, If Very Messy, Fun
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (David Yates, 2016) Published in 2001, after Harry Potter and the Goblet of … More
