There’s a moment in the musical Wicked where Elphaba looks around and wonders if the encounter she had with Madam Morrible really just happened but it seemed so strange. I, too, found myself wondering if that really just happened, but rather than wondering if I had a talent that could help me meet a wizard, I was amazed that once again Channing Tatum and company managed to make Magic Mike XXL, a wholly enjoyable film about lovable strippers that rises above expectations.
Last year I remarked that watching Foxcatcher was like having your spirit in a vice grip. I was unsure a movie could top the oppressive nature of that film, but then along came The Tribe, a beautifully rendered film, which proves to be just as corrosive to the soul. Unlike that previous film, this movie beckons you to join its sadistic pleasures, from its alluring long takes to the fact that there are no subtitles for the sign language. Try though you might, you can’t but help lean into the film, even as the sheer bleakness provides no recourse.
Profound films come a dime a dozen for Pixar, a studio who has been so successful that when they make good movies it’s seen as taking a step back. But of the profound films and subjects they’ve touched on, Inside Out provides the studio with one of its most challenging attempts at trying to succeed. Thankfully I can report that the film more than earns its profound status and a place amongst Pixar’s beat.
Making a film for a star is not a new Hollywood concept, its been done since we discovered what stars can do for film’s box office. Still there hasn’t quite been someone in the package of one Melissa McCarthy to build one around. Thank goodness for Spy then, the smart, wickedly pointed spoof of all spy films, that gives her an amazing movie to lead.
Let me just start off by saying this, San Andreas is a fucking awesome movie! Whew, I feel good that I’ve gotten that out onto the page and now we can move past cursing and exclamation points. San Andreas represents all that is wonderful about the summer blockbuster season: characters you can root for, crazy spectacle, and most importantly, elements that allow you to commune with it in pure ways. Cinema can do many things, but first and foremost, it must entertain.
Simply put, Heaven Knows What is a film by the Ben and Joshua Safdie about a young girl, Harley, who is dumped by her seemingly on-and-off-again boyfriend, Ilya. After a loving decision to try and get his attention, she proceeds to try to find love in ALL the wrong places. This is the scariest film I have seen so far this year! From the very beginning the Safdie Brothers do not let you from their grasp (even when the credits roll at the end). They remind us that this a lifestyle that never ends, and we don’t even know how it started. It just happened.