Hacksaw Ridge (Mel Gibson, 2016) How much should a director’s personal history count when judging his or her work? We cinephiles…
Exquisite “Certain Women” Showcases Four Brilliant Actresses of Our Day
[Note: This review also appeared on Film Festival Today.] Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt, 2016) Set in wintry Montana, Certain Women – the sixth…
Interview with David Schisgall, Director of “Theo Who Lived,” @hammertonail
Not a lot of published activity for me this week, though many pieces are in the works. As an accompaniment…
“Roughly Speaking” Podcast on Fall 2016 Coming Attractions
Today, Linda DeLibero – Director, Film and Media Studies, Johns Hopkins University – and Christopher Llewellyn Reed (that’s me) – Chair and Professor, Department…
Leave Your Thinking Cap Behind, and “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” Delivers Occasional Action Goods
[Note: This review also appeared on Film Festival Today at this link.] Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (Edward Zwick, 2016) I missed reading…
“American Pastoral” Traffics in Deadly Bucolic Ennui
American Pastoral (Ewan McGregor, 2016) Actor Ewan McGregor (Miles Ahead) makes his directorial debut with American Pastoral, an extremely faithful, if also…
Reviews of “The Greasy Strangler” and “Theo Who Lived” @hammertonail
I had two reviews published on Hammer to Nail this past week, for the aggressively (and intentionally) off-putting midnight movie The Greasy Strangler…
Though It Offers Guilty Pleasures, “The Accountant” Adds the Numbers Up Too Perfectly
[Note: This review also appeared on Film Festival Today at this link.] The Accountant (Gavin O’Connor, 2016) In The Accountant, the new action-thriller from director…
“Roughly Speaking” Podcast on “Birth of a Nation” and “The Girl on the Train”
Today, Linda DeLibero – Director, Film and Media Studies, Johns Hopkins University – and Christopher Llewellyn Reed (that’s me) – Chair and Professor, Department…
“The Girl on the Train” Misses Its Destination
[Note: This review also appeared on Film Festival Today at this link.] The Girl on the Train (Tate Taylor, 2016) To how…
