The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Produced by Annapurna Pictures Written and directed by Ethan and Joel Coen Distributed by Netflix Roma Produced by Participant Media Written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón Distributed by Netflix Near the end of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, the Coen brothers’ latest cinematic whimsy being shown on Netflix, Brendan Gleeson...
Author: George Mccartney (George Mccartney)
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Mortal Coils
Boy Erased Produced and distributed by Focus Features Written and directed by Joel Edgerton from a memoir by Garrard Conley The Miseducation of Cameron Post Produced by Beachside Films Written and directed by Desiree Akhavan from a novel by Emily Danforth Distributed by FilmRise Private Life Produced and distributed by Netflix Written and directed by...
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The Undaunted
First Man Produced by Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, Isaac Klausner, and Damien Chazelle Directed by Damien Chazelle Screenplay by Josh Singer from the biography by James R. Hansen Distributed by Universal Pictures Black 47 Produced by Fastnet Films and the Irish Film Board Directed by Lance Daly Screenplay by P. J. Dillon Distributed by IFC...
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Lilliputian Fantasies
Downsizing Produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures Directed by Alexander Payne Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor I’m late commenting on Alexander Payne’s Downsizing for the simple reason that the film became all but unavailable within what seemed a couple of weeks of its opening in December 2017. It had disappeared from theaters and...
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Racing
BlacKkKlansman Produced by Forty Acres and a Mule Filmworks Directed by Spike Lee Screenplay by Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, and Spike Lee Distributed by Focus Features Crazy Rich Asians Produced and distributed by Warner Brothers Directed by John M. Chu Screenplay by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim from Kevin Kwan’s novel Mission: Impossible—Fallout Produced...
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Desperate Fatties
You Were Never Really Here Produced by Why Not Productions and the British Film Institute Directed and written by Lynne Ramsay, based on Jonathan Ames’s novel Distributed by Amazon Studios Tully Produced by BRON Studios Directed by Jason Reitman Screenplay by Diablo Cody Distributed by Focus Features This month we have two—you’ll excuse the expression—art-house...
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Ministering
First Reformed Produced and distributed by A24 Written and directed by Paul Schrader Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Produced by Tremolo Productions Distributed by Focus Features Fashionable reviewers have brought out the heavy artillery to praise director Paul Schrader’s latest film, First Reformed, calling it transcendent, uncompromising, soaring, etc, etc. Maybe they saw a different...
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Families
Chappaquiddick Produced and distributed by Entertainment Studios Directed by John Curran Screenplay by Taylor Allen and Andrew Logan A Quiet Place Produced by Platinum Dunes Directed and written by John Krasinski Distributed by Paramount Pictures On July 18, 1969, Sen. Edward Kennedy infamously drove off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island. He had left a late-night...
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Racial Follies
Band of Angels Produced and distributed by Warner Brothers Directed by Raoul Walsh Screenplay by John Twist Hostiles Produced by Le Grisbi Productions Written and directed by Scott Cooper Distributed by Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures I had never heard of the 1957 film Band of Angels directed by Raoul Walsh until I came upon it...
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Bursting the Wineskin
Novitiate Produced by Maven Pictures Written and directed by Maggie Betts Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics Growing up in the 1950’s, I was regaled with many stories about nuns and their punishing ways. Having attended Roman Catholic grammar school through the third grade, I did some regaling myself despite knowing full well that my tales...
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Lies and Consequences
The Post Produced by Dreamworks Directed by Steven Spielberg Screenplay by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox The Phantom Thread Produced and distributed by Focus Features Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson The Post is Steven Spielberg’s account of the Washington Post’s 1971 decision to publish the Robert McNamara-ordered report...
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Rising to the Occasion
Darkest Hour Produced by Perfect World Pictures Written by Anthony McCarten Directed by Joe Wright Distributed by Focus Features The Shape of Water Produced by Scott Rudin Productions Written by Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor Directed by Guillermo del Toro Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures Toward the end of Darkest Hour, we watch Gary...
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Signs and Revelations
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Produced by Blueprint Pictures Written and directed by Martin McDonagh Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures Lady Bird Produced by Scott Rudin Productions Written and directed by Greta Gerwig Distributed by A24 Three Billboards is hilarious; yet it could hardly be sadder. How can it be both at once? That’s director...
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The Weight of the Past
Thor: Ragnarok Produced by Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures Directed by Taika Waititi Screenplay by Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, and Christopher Yost Distributed by Walt Disney Studios The Killing of a Sacred Deer Produced and Distributed by A24 Written and Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos Mudbound Produced by Armory Films Directed by Dee Rees Screenplay...
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Of Death and Birth
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women Produced by Boxspring Entertainment Written and directed by Angela Robinson Distributed by Annapurna Pictures Blade Runner 2049 Produced by Columbia Pictures and Warner Brothers Directed by Denis Villeneuve Screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green Distributed by Warner Brothers Watching director Angela Robinson’s Professor Marston and the Wonder Women,...
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Allegorically Yours
mother! Produced by Protozoa Pictures Written and directed by Darren Aronofsky Distributed by Paramount Pictures The Unknown Girl Produced by Les Films du Fleuve Written and directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Distributed by Sundance Select Wind River Produced by Acacia Filmed Entertainment Written and directed by Taylor Sheridan Distributed by The Weinstein Company I...
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The Little People
Dunkirk Produced and distributed by Warner Brothers Written and directed by Christopher Nolan Chuck Produced by Millennium Films Distributed by IFC Films Written by Jeff Feuerzeig and Jerry Stahl Directed by Philippe Falardeau You wouldn’t think a director who’s made three extravagantly fanciful Batman movies would be interested in turning his hand to a realistic...
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Unflinching Women
Lady Macbeth Produced by Sixty Six Pictures, BBC Films, and The British Film Institute Directed by William Oldroyd Screenplay by Alice Birch from the novel by Nikolai Leskov A Quiet Passion Produced by Hurricane Films Written and directed by Terence Davies Distributed by Music Box Films The reviews of Lady Macbeth have been nearly unanimous, proclaiming it a...
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Alfred Hitchcock’s Empty Suit
From the August 2008 issue of Chronicles. In 1939, a short, fat Englishman named Alfred Hitchcock arrived in Hollywood at the invitation of David Selznick. Impressed by Hitchcock’s work in British film, Selznick thought he would be perfect to direct Rebecca, starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. Things did not go well. Selznick was among...
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Wonders
Wonder Woman Produced by D.C. Entertainment Directed by Patty Jenkins Screenplay by Allen Heinberg Distributed by Warner Brothers Silence Produced by Cappa Defina Productions Directed by Martin Scorsese Screenplay by Martin Scorsese and Jay Cocks, from the novel by Shusaku Endo Distributed by Paramount Pictures Wonder Woman is the first installment of what threatens to...
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The World as Imagination
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 Produced by Marvel Studios Directed and written by James Gunn Distributed by Walt Disney Studios The Lost City of Z Produced by Plan B Entertainment Directed and written by James Gray, based on David Grann’s book Distributed by Amazon Studios Mixed-race romance has become profitably au courant in popular...
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Down Here Among the Lilliputians
Kong: Skull Island Produced and distributed by Warner Brothers Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts Screenplay by Dan Gilroy and Max Borenstein Moonlight Produced and distributed by A24 Directed by Barry Jenkins Screenplay by Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney Lion Produced and distributed by The Weinstein Company Directed by Garth Davis Screenplay by Saroo Brierly from his...
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Racial Follies
Get Out Produced by Blumhouse Productions Written and directed by Jordan Peele Distributed by Universal Pictures Fences Produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures Directed by Denzel Washington Screenplay based on August Wilson’s play From what I had read in advance of seeing Get Out, a film written and directed by Jordan Peele, I had...
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Good Country People
Loving Produced by Raindog Films Directed and written by Jeff Nichols Distributed by Focus Features Hacksaw Ridge Produced by Cross Creek Pictures Directed by Mel Gibson Screenplay by Robert Schenkkan and Andrew Knight Distributed by Summit Entertainment I first learned about miscegenation in 1958. A student in my high-school religion class asked our teacher, Father...
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Shall We Dance?
La La Land Produced by Summit Entertainment Written and directed by Damien Chazelle Distributed by Liongate The Founder Produced and distributed by The Weinstein Company Directed by John Lee Hancock Screenplay by Robert D. Siegel In last month’s issue, no less a cinematic authority than Taki pronounced La La Land delightful (“Beyond the Idiot Box,”...
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Marvelous Exhibitions
Nocturnal Animals Produced by Fade to Black Productions Directed and written by Tom Ford, based on Austin Wright’s novel Tony and Susan Distributed by Focus Features Doctor Strange Produced by Marvel and Disney Studios Directed and written by Scott Derrickson Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Erstwhile fashion designer turned film director Tom Ford seems to...
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Aliens: The Good and the Bad
Arrival 21 Laps Entertainment Directed by Denis Villeneuve Screenplay by Eric Heisserer based on Ted Chiang’s novella Distributed by Paramount Pictures Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk Produced by Film4 and TriStar Pictures Directed by Ang Lee Screenplay by Jean-Christophe Castelli from Ben Fountain’s novel Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing When is the last time you...
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A Useful Tool
The Birth of a Nation Produced by Argent Pictures Directed by Nate Parker Screenplay by Nate Parker and Jean Celestine Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures Nate Parker has entitled his debut film The Birth of a Nation. He chose his title as a rebuke of D.W. Griffith’s groundbreaking 1915 film. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation...
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The Entitled and the Deplorable
As regards the recent battle between the Entitled and the Deplorable, I’m thrilled that Hillary Clinton lost but mildly terrified that Donald Trump won. Ms. Clinton would have established an administration dedicated to prosecuting war in the Middle East, beginning with Syria followed by who knows what other provinces of the ongoing Arab nightmare. She’d...
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Of Wrath, Lies, and Heroes
Snowden Produced by Endgame Entertainment Directed by Oliver Stone Screenplay by Kieran Fitzgerald and Oliver Stone Distributed by Open Road Films Sully Produced by Malpaso Productions Directed by Clint Eastwood Screenplay by Todd Komarnicki Distributed by Warner Brothers Anyone Hillary Clinton hates usually wins my admiration by default. Edward Snowden, then, should be at the...
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Clichés Revived
Hell or High Water Produced by Film 44 Directed by David Mackenzie Screenplay by Taylor Sheridan Distributed by CBS Pete’s Dragon Produced and distributed by Walt Disney Productions Directed and written by David Lowery Hell or High Water has won extravagant praise from mainline film reviewers. This, I suspect, has to do more with its...
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Counting on Rosary Beads
The Legend of Tarzan Produced by Jerry Weintraub Productions Directed by David Yates Screenplay by Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer from the Edgar Rice Burroughs stories Distributed by Warner Brothers The Conjuring 2 Produced by New Line Cinema Directed by James Wan Screenplay by Carey and Chad Hayes Distributed by Warner Brothers The Legend of...
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The Hypocritical Etiquette of Our Masters
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have reached such a fraught point in their campaigns that they’ve taken accusing one another of America’s unpardonable sin: Racism. The broadcast news outlets are all delightedly agog. This is understandable. Nothing sells better in America than accusations of racial preference. It’s a near certainty that Barack Obama was elected...
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Under Circe’s Spell
Love and Friendship Produced by Westerly Films Written and directed by Whit Stillman from Jane Austen’s Lady Susan Distributed by Roadside Attractions and Amazon Studios Whit Stillman’s new film, Love and Friendship, is an adaptation of Jane Austen’s epistolary novella Lady Susan, an early and somewhat unfinished work she wrote when she was all of...
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Bad Investments Pay Off
Money Monster Directed by Jodie Foster Screenplay by Jamie Linden, Alan DiFiore, Jim Kouf Produced by TriStar Pictures Distributed by Sony Pictures Mustang Directed and written by Deniz Gamze Ergüven Produced by CG Cinema Distributed by Cohen Media Group When I graduated from college with a degree in English literature, it occurred to me I...
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Shine Your Ever-Loving Light on Me
The Jungle Book Produced and distributed by Disney Pictures Directed by Jon Favreau Screenplay by Justin Marks from Rudyard Kipling’s book Midnight Special Produced and distributed by Warner Brothers Written and directed by Jeff Nichols Are the Disney executives rethinking their political correctness? You know, their belief that homosexuals and transgender folk are uniformly good...
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Revelation and Portent
Risen Produced and distributed by Sony Pictures Directed by Kevin Reynolds Screenplay by Kevin Reynolds and Paul Aiello 10 Cloverfield Lane Produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot Directed by Dan Trachtenberg Screenplay by Josh Campbell, Matthew Stuecken, and Damien Chazelle You could hardly choose a more unvarnished title for a retelling of...
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The Hail With It
Hail, Caesar Produced by Mike Zoss Productions and Working Title Films Written and directed by Ethan and Joel Coen Distributed by Universal Pictures In Ethan and Joel Coen’s latest film, Hail, Caesar!, we’re taken back to the Hollywood of the early 1950’s, lovingly recreated but set darkly askew. That was when the dream factories were...
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Paint It Black
The Big Short Produced by Plan B Entertainment and Regency Enterprises Directed by Adam McKay Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay Distributed by Paramount Pictures In the 90’s of the last century, I used to supplement my academic income by coaching investment bankers and corporate CEOs. My job was to help them prepare presentations...
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Not So Far Away, Not So Long Ago
Brooklyn Produced by Wildgaze Films and The Irish Film Board Directed by John Crowley Written by Nick Hornby from the novel by Colm Toibin Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures Star Wars: The Force Awakens Produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. Directed by J.J. Abrams Written by J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Brooklyn...
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Compromised Fidelities
Spotlight Produced by Anonymous Content and Participant Media Director by Tom McCarthy Screenplay by Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer Distributed by Open Road Films Trumbo Produced by Groundswell Productions Directed by Jay Roach Screenplay by John McNamara Distributed by Bleeker Street Media In 2000, the Boston Globe hires Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) to be editor-in-chief. ...
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A Snow Job on Rodeo Drive
Bridge of Spies Produced by DreamWorks SKG Directed by Steven Spielberg Screenplay by Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, and Joel Coen Distributed by Touchstone Pictures Steven Spielberg’s new movie Bridge of Spies recounts the Cold War spy swap America made with the Soviet Union in 1962. We gave the Russkies atom spy Col. Rudolf Abel (Mark...
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Top of the World, Ma
Black Mass Produced by Cross Creek Pictures Directed by Scott Cooper Screenplay by Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth, based on the book Black Mass, by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill Distributed by Warner Brothers Ever since The Great Train Robbery flashed on the screen in 1903, Americans have been enthralled by gangster movies. They not...
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The Curtain Descends; Everything Ends
Phoenix Produced by Schramm Film Koerner & Weber and Bayerische Rundfunk Directed and written by Christian Petzold Distributed by Sundance Selects The Gift Produced by Blue-Tongue Films and Blumhouse Productions Directed and written by Joel Edgerton Distributed by STX Entertainment and Showtime Networks German director Christian Petzold’s new film, Phoenix, begins with a perfectly dark...
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Detecting the Personal Beyond
Mr. Holmes Produced by BBC Films and See-Saw Films Directed by Bill Condon Screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher from Mitch Cullin’s novel, A Slight Trick of the Mind Distributed by The Weinstein Company Mr. Holmes is the film adaptation of Mitch Cullin’s curious 2005 novel A Slight Trick of the Mind. Reading the novel, I was...
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Can’t Get No Satisfaction
Madame Bovary Produced by A Company Filmproduktions gesellschaft Screenplay by Felipe Marino and Sophie Barthes from Gustave Flaubert’s novel Directed by Sophie Barthes Distributed by Alchemy and Millennium Entertainment Gustave Flaubert was the satirist of dissatisfaction. His principal theme was the ruinous nature of unrealizable dreams, a malady he treated with cold contempt in his 1857 novel...
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Women on the Loose
Mad Max: Fury Road Produced by Village Roadshow Pictures Written and directed by George Miller Distributed by Warner Brothers Ex Machina Produced by Film 4 Written and directed by Alex Garland Distributed by Universal Pictures We never know how feminism will show up at the movies. We only know that it will. Currently, it’s on...
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A Strange Romance This Was
Effie Gray Produced by Sovereign Films Directed by Richard Laxton Screenplay by Emma Thompson Distributed by Adopt Films The only reason for making a movie centered on Euphemia Gray (Dakota Fanning) is sex. Or, rather its absence. This story of Effie, the first and only wife of the magisterially influential Victorian art critic and theorist...
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Trucking Upward
A Most Violent Year Produced by Before The Door Pictures and Washington Square Films Directed and written by J.C. Candor Distributed by A24 I went to J.C. Chandor’s new film A Most Violent Year with high expectations. His first, Margin Call, was simply the best cinematic examination of the 2008 banking crisis we’ve had to...
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Hopalong Rides the Iraqi Range
American Sniper Produced and distributed by Warner Brothers Screenplay by Jason Hall Directed by Clint Eastwood We’re told that during his later career director John Huston frequently preferred reading a good newspaper while his actors performed a scene before the camera. He believed in leaving them to their own devices, among which he trusted thespian...