Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Chance Solem-Pfeifer is a contributor to PopMatters. You can find his other writing at Paste, Splitsider, Willamette Week, and elsewhere. He's also the host of the "Be Reel" podcast and a DJ for Oregon Public Broadcasting's music division.
Ben Foster: The Strange, Exhilarating Prince of the Sacrificial Lamb Role
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Ben Foster: The Strange, Exhilarating Prince of the Sacrificial Lamb Role

By
 / 13 February 2017
Foster has provided the most valuable service a co-star can to actors like Chris Pine, Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg: He’s made these leading men and their hard jawlines interesting.
For Better or Worse ‘Detour’ Plows Ahead
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For Better or Worse ‘Detour’ Plows Ahead

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 / 20 January 2017
Christopher Smith's new noir outing is a scuzzy and flawed 90 minutes, elevated by a compelling, three-pronged cast.
Forcing Connections in ‘100 Streets’
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Forcing Connections in ‘100 Streets’

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 / 13 January 2017
100 Streets offers four groups of people who have nothing to do with each other than, well, the fact that they have to.
‘In a Valley of Violence’ Is More Like a Plateau of Platitudes
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‘In a Valley of Violence’ Is More Like a Plateau of Platitudes

By
 / 2 November 2016
Is violence a tragedy or an existential condition? Is this a Western or a dark spoof on one?
The Headcase and the Hydra: Why Jason Bourne Doesn’t Work as a Franchise Hero
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The Headcase and the Hydra: Why Jason Bourne Doesn’t Work as a Franchise Hero

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 / 14 September 2016
Jason Bourne has big shoulders, but carrying the burden of misinterpretation is too much; he can’t chart a hero’s journey conceived in a rat’s nest.