Hollywood Is a Helluva Drug in Damien Chazelle’s ‘Babylon’
Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt’s characters burn the candle at both ends in Damien Chazelle’s rollicking and ridiculous epic cautionary tale, Babylon.
comedy
Director Mark Pellington on His Timeless Coming-of-Age Debut ‘Going All the Way’
Still courtesy of Oscilloscope
The 10 Best Classic Films on Blu-ray and DVD in 2022
From gentle satire to something like an anarchist paint bomb tossed into an uptight dinner party, we feature the 10 Best Classic Films on Blu-ray and DVD in 2022 – and we toss in a few more, just for kicks.
‘White Noise’ Is a Pop Art Fever Dream of Catastrophe and Consumerism
Noah Baumbach’s bright, funny, and nervy White Noise vividly translates Don DeLillo’s classic of mid-1980s American consumerist-medicated anxieties.
‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ Drags America’s History From the Dark Dank Basement
Frank Capra’s America is always on the edge of madness and nightmare. The deeper you dig into his Arsenic and Old Lace, the darker and queasier it becomes.
Royalty and the Help Do Switcheroos in Pre-Code Comedy ‘By Candlelight’
James Whale’s pre-code comedy/romance, ‘By Candelight’ is a perfect example of Depression-era escapism into Art Deco consumer porn.
Why Do Voters Want Women Candidates to Be Like Parks and Recreation’s Leslie Knope?
Ten years after Parks and Recreation’s campaign-focused season 4, real-world female political candidates still liken themselves to Leslie Knope. Is that the kind of candidate 2022 needs?
‘The Big Chill’ Still Hits a Nerve 40 Years Later
The Big Chill‘s blunt suggestion that one may not have lived up to their younger self’s dreams or morals hits a universal nerve to this day.
Bo Burnham’s ‘Inside’ Mixes Comedy with Anxiety and Sets It to Music
Bo Burnham creates a warm and inviting mood and ironic comfort when he sings “That Funny Feeling” in his comedy special, ‘Inside’.
‘Licorice Pizza’ Pulls a Magic Eyes Trick on Entitled Idiots
Licorice Pizza is a gaudy parade of rich white privileged shits of the type Paul Thomas Anderson tends to focus on. They’re his people.
Ambiguous Loss and Migrant Emotions in Animated Comedy ‘Vivo’
Overlooked at the 2022 Oscars, Kirk DeMicco’s animated comedy Vivo expresses the “Trump-era anxiety” and ambiguous loss surrounding transnational migration.
The Beginning of a Beautiful Affair Between Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond
Love in the Afternoon deserves credit for its artistic merit but also for serving as the beginning of a beautiful affair between Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond.