Every year, there are films that I miss seeing when they first come out (usually because I am unable to…
Criterion’s “Muriel” + “A Tale of Love and Darkness” + Tracy Droz Tragos x2 at “Hammer to Nail”
In the past two weeks, Hammer to Nail published three reviews of mine – of two movies just released and one brand-new…
“Roughly Speaking” Podcast on Hollywood Epics, “Ben-Hur,” “Hell or High Water” and “War Dogs”
Today, Linda DeLibero – Director, Film and Media Studies, Johns Hopkins University – and Christopher Llewellyn Reed (that’s me) – Chair and Professor, Department…
“Hell or High Water” Is a Brilliant Existential Western Crime Thriller
Hell or High Water (David Mackenzie, 2016) It’s early morning in West Texas. The camera drifts lazily over and through…
“War Dogs” Offers Mostly Great Satire of Our Military/Industrial Complex
War Dogs (Todd Phillips, 2016) Todd Phillips is the man responsible for giving us all three Hangover films. I loved the…
“Ben-Hur” Fails to Champion Its Raison d’Etre
Ben-Hur (Timur Bekmambetov, 2016) American Civil War Hero Lewis Wallace – or General Lew Wallace, as he is most often known –…
“Sausage Party” Offers an Orgy of Jokes Crude, Rude, Lewd … and Sometimes Funny, Too!
Sausage Party (Greg Tiernan/Conrad Vernon, 2016) If the thought of your food having sex (note: not you having sex with…
In “Florence Foster Jenkins,” La Diva Streep Warbles Through a Too-Often Flat Aria
Florence Foster Jenkins (Stephen Frears, 2016) I miss the Meryl Streep of yore, before she was an institution, accorded diva…
Disney’s Remade “Pete’s Dragon” Offers CGI Delights and Flesh-and-Bone Disappointments
Pete’s Dragon (David Lowery, 2016) If you are a fan of the original Pete’s Dragon, released in 1977, eager to see…
Criterion’s “Night and Fog” + “Neither Heaven Nor Earth” + Gillian Armstrong x2 at “Hammer to Nail”
In the past two weeks, Hammer to Nail published three reviews of mine – of two movies just released and one…
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