Christopher Llewellyn Reed's Blog, page 48
February 27, 2017
Rodricks, Reed and DeLibero on 2017 Academy Awards Ceremony
On Monday, February 27, 2017, Linda DeLibero – Director, Film and Media Studies, Johns Hopkins University – and Christopher Llewellyn Reed (that’s me) – Chair and Professor, Department of Film & Moving Image, Stevenson University – joined Dan Rodricks on his Baltimore Sun podcast, “Roughly Speaking,” where we discussed this year’s Academy Awards Ceremony, which ended in an embarrassing mishap when La La Land was mistakenly … Continue reading Rodricks, Reed and DeLibero on 2017 Academy Awards Ceremony
February 24, 2017
In Powerful “The Salesman,” Asghar Farhadi Once Again Examines Complexities of a Marriage
[This review will also post on Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to that review here.] The Salesman (Asghar Farhadi, 2016) Asghar Farhadi, who won a Best-Foreign-Language-Film Oscar in 2012 for A Separation, his delicate examination of a divorcing couple in Tehran, is nominated once more, for The Salesman, an equally remarkable film that … Continue reading In Powerful “The Salesman,” Asghar Farhadi Once Again Examines Complexities of a Marriage
February 23, 2017
In “Get Out,” Jordan Peele Brilliantly Takes on Racism with Comedy and Horror
Get Out (Jordan Peele, 2017) Comedian Jordan Peele – formerly of Key and Peele – makes his directorial debut with a film that is both a delightful riff on the horror genre and a biting, satirical attack on racism and its apologists. Chris, our hero, is a twenty-something African-American man living the good life in New York City, who … Continue reading In “Get Out,” Jordan Peele Brilliantly Takes on Racism with Comedy and Horror
February 17, 2017
The Beautiful “A Cure for Wellness” Knows Not What Ails It
[This review will also post on Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to that review here.] A Cure for Wellness (Gore Verbinski, 2017) From Gore Verbinski (director of the terrific supernatural thriller The Ring but also, alas, The Lone Ranger) comes a creepy tale of unnatural doings in the Swiss Alps. We don’t start there, however, … Continue reading The Beautiful “A Cure for Wellness” Knows Not What Ails It
“Fist Fight” Offers Occasionally Amusing, If Banal, Entertainment
Fist Fight (Richie Keen, 2017) What story there is in Fist Fight centers around budget cuts at a smallish public high school, which result in general anomie. The last day of the school year arrives, and all hell breaks loose, among both faculty and students. Pushover Mr. Campbell (Charlie Day, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) hopes that today won’t … Continue reading “Fist Fight” Offers Occasionally Amusing, If Banal, Entertainment
February 10, 2017
In “John Wick: Chapter 2,” Our Hitman Loses His Way in Excessive Carnage
[This review will also post on Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to it here.] John Wick: Chapter 2 (Chad Stahelski, 2017) The first John Wick film, released in 2014, offered up many delights, not the least of which was the sight of then 50-year-old Keanu Reeves (The Neon Demon) running, kicking, punching and … Continue reading In “John Wick: Chapter 2,” Our Hitman Loses His Way in Excessive Carnage
February 7, 2017
“The LEGO Batman Movie” Assembles Cinematic Pleasures of the Commercial Kind
The LEGO Batman Movie (Chris McKay, 2017) I loved The LEGO Movie, and one of the great snubs of the 2015 Oscar nominations was the omission of that film from the list of contenders for best animated feature. Despite being an obvious advertisement for LEGO® toys, it was a delightfully anarchic riff on all things pop-cultural, … Continue reading “The LEGO Batman Movie” Assembles Cinematic Pleasures of the Commercial Kind
February 5, 2017
3 @hammertonail reviews: “I Am Not Your Negro,” “Landfill Harmonic” and Criterion’s “The Squid and the Whale” Blu-ray
Here are 3 recents reviews of mine for Hammer to Nail: I Am Not Your Negro, a new documentary (just nominated for an Academy Award) about James Baldwin; Landfill Harmonic, a documentary about children making music on instruments fashioned out of recycled trash; and the Criterion Collection’s new Blu-ray release of Noah Baumbach’s breakout third feature, The Squid and the Whale, about … Continue reading 3 @hammertonail reviews: “I Am Not Your Negro,” “Landfill Harmonic” and Criterion’s “The Squid and the Whale” Blu-ray
All 10 of My @hammertonail @slamdance @sundancefest Film Reviews
Here are the 10 reviews from my remote coverage of the recent Slamdance and Sundance film festivals, written for Hammer to Nail. I couldn’t attend, but I was able to watch some great movies, nonetheless. From Slamdance, we have three documentaries – The Modern Jungle (which analyzes the relationship between filmmaker and subject among dirt-poor peasants in Chiapas), Strad … Continue reading All 10 of My @hammertonail @slamdance @sundancefest Film Reviews
February 3, 2017
“Toni Erdmann” Plays the Long Game and Wins
[This review will also post on Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to that review here.] Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade, 2016) At 162 minutes, German director Maren Ade’s latest film, Toni Erdmann – her first since the 2009 Everything Else – seems like a lot to handle in a single viewing. A dramedy … Continue reading “Toni Erdmann” Plays the Long Game and Wins
