Christopher Llewellyn Reed's Blog, page 50

3 Recent “BmoreArt” Articles: Maryland Film Festival’s “Between the Screens” Event, Holiday Movie Guide, and “Wits End” Review

In November, BmoreArt published my first-ever print article – an interview with famed local filmmaker John Waters – in its third print edition (which you can buy at this link). Since then, the magazine’s online site has published three more pieces of mine: an overview of a recent Maryland Film Festival event featuring filmmakers Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage … Continue reading 3 Recent “BmoreArt” Articles: Maryland Film Festival’s “Between the Screens” Event, Holiday Movie Guide, and “Wits End” Review

5 Reviews @hammertonail: “The Ardennes,” “Dr. Feelgood,” “Pet Fooled” + Criterion Blu-Rays of “One-Eyed Jacks” & “Trilogía de Guillermo del Toro”

Here are five new posts of mine at Hammer to Nail: The Ardennes, a Belgian crime drama that pits brother against brother; Dr. Feelgood: Dealer or Healer?, a documentary about the battle over prescription pain medicine; Pet Fooled, a documentary about the dangers that lurk in your pet’s food; the Criterion Collection’s Blu-ray release of actor Marlon Brando’s sole outing as a director, … Continue reading 5 Reviews @hammertonail: “The Ardennes,” “Dr. Feelgood,” “Pet Fooled” + Criterion Blu-Rays of “One-Eyed Jacks” & “Trilogía de Guillermo del Toro”

Mr. Reed’s Metaphysical Neighborhood Presents the Best Film Acting of 2016

What follows is a list of what I consider the best acting in films released in 2016. On December 31, 2016, I published my list of best (and worst) films of the year, and most actors in most of the narrative (fiction) films on my list turned in admirable performances. The same goes with directors. I see no … Continue reading Mr. Reed’s Metaphysical Neighborhood Presents the Best Film Acting of 2016

If “A Monster Calls,” You Should Answer

A Monster Calls (J.A. Bayona, 2016) In his introduction to the 2011 book on which this movie is based, author Patrick Ness (The Chaos Walking series) pays tribute to the late children’s author Siobhan Dowd (1960-2007), who came up with the original idea for the novel but died before being able to do anything with that … Continue reading If “A Monster Calls,” You Should Answer

Enjoyable, if Simplistic, “Hidden Figures” Sheds Needed Light on Hidden History of NASA

[This review will also appear at Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to that review.] Hidden Figures (Theodore Melfi, 2016) Hidden Figures is the second feature from writer/director Theodore Melfi, who brought us St. Vincent in 2014. Where that film was a low-key, offbeat comedy starring Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy and Naomi Watts, this sophomore effort … Continue reading Enjoyable, if Simplistic, “Hidden Figures” Sheds Needed Light on Hidden History of NASA

“Paterson” Celebrates the Magic of Our Ordinary World

[This review will also appear at Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to that review.] Paterson (Jim Jarmusch, 2016) Ever since his first theatrical feature, Stranger Than Paradise, in 1984 – which won the Caméra d’Or (Best First Feature) award at the Cannes Film Festival – American indie auteur Jim Jarmusch has accumulated a growing cult fan base. … Continue reading “Paterson” Celebrates the Magic of Our Ordinary World

Mr. Reed’s Metaphysical Neighborhood Presents the Best and Worst Films of 2016

[For an explanation of my blog post title, check out my “best of” list from 2013.] Below you will find lists of my favorite films of the year, divided by narrative (fiction) and documentary (nonfiction) formats (I do not separate animated films from either genre, and there are examples of at least one animated film in each category). … Continue reading Mr. Reed’s Metaphysical Neighborhood Presents the Best and Worst Films of 2016

5 Pieces @hammertonail: Reviews of “Baden Baden,” “Risky Drinking,” “8-Bit Generation,” “I, Daniel Blake” + Criterion Blu-Ray of “The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum”

Since my last post about Hammer to Nail, the site has posted 5 more reviews of mine: Baden Baden, a French coming-of-age film about a lost twentysomething woman; Risky Drinking, a documentary about the perils of alcoholism; 8-Bit Generation: The Commodore Wars, a documentary about the history of Commodore computers, which dominated the early 1980s; 2016 Cannes Film Festival Palme … Continue reading 5 Pieces @hammertonail: Reviews of “Baden Baden,” “Risky Drinking,” “8-Bit Generation,” “I, Daniel Blake” + Criterion Blu-Ray of “The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum”

“Fences” Showcases Great Performances

Fences (Denzel Washington, 2016) The great American playwright August Wilson (1945-2005) may no longer be physically of this world, but his work, which discusses issues of race and family, among other topics, very much lives on, as relevant as ever. His best-known plays include Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (1984), the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Piano Lesson (1990) and the Tony … Continue reading “Fences” Showcases Great Performances

In Disturbing “Elle,” Isabelle Huppert, As Always, Mesmerizes

Elle (Paul Verhoeven, 2016) Now 78, Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven has long since graduated beyond enfant terrible, if that moniker were ever actually suitable for a director more exploitative than avant-garde. Best known as the creator of violent, sexual, and sexually violent thrillers of the 1980s and ’90s such as Robocop (1987), Total Recall (1990), and … Continue reading In Disturbing “Elle,” Isabelle Huppert, As Always, Mesmerizes