Christopher Llewellyn Reed's Blog, page 54

“American Pastoral” Traffics in Deadly Bucolic Ennui

American Pastoral (Ewan McGregor, 2016) Actor Ewan McGregor (Miles Ahead) makes his directorial debut with American Pastoral, an extremely faithful, if also inert, adaptation of author Philip Roth’s 1998 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. Working off a script by John Roman (The Lincoln Lawyer), McGregor hits all the same beats as did Roth, yet ends up with … Continue reading “American Pastoral” Traffics in Deadly Bucolic Ennui

Reviews of “The Greasy Strangler” and “Theo Who Lived” @hammertonail

I had two reviews published on Hammer to Nail this past week, for the aggressively (and intentionally) off-putting midnight movie The Greasy Strangler and the powerful documentary Theo Who Lived, which tells the story of journalist Peter Theo Padnos, who survived a two-year kidnapping by an affiliate of Al Qaeda. Here are the links to both pieces: The Greasy Strangler review Theo … Continue reading Reviews of “The Greasy Strangler” and “Theo Who Lived” @hammertonail

Though It Offers Guilty Pleasures, “The Accountant” Adds the Numbers Up Too Perfectly

[Note: This review will also appear on Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to it here.] The Accountant (Gavin O’Connor, 2016) In The Accountant, the new action-thriller from director Gavin O’Connor (Jane Got a Gun) and screenwriter Bill Dubuque (The Judge), Ben Affleck (Gone Girl) plays Christian Wolff, a certified CPA by day who dons a cape … Continue reading Though It Offers Guilty Pleasures, “The Accountant” Adds the Numbers Up Too Perfectly

“Roughly Speaking” Podcast on “Birth of a Nation” and “The Girl on the Train”

Today, 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 both The Birth of a Nation and The Girl on the Train, both in wide release today. Here is the link to the … Continue reading “Roughly Speaking” Podcast on “Birth of a Nation” and “The Girl on the Train”

“The Girl on the Train” Misses Its Destination

[Note: This review also appeared on Film Festival Today at this link.] The Girl on the Train (Tate Taylor, 2016) To how many metaphorical uses can we put trains? Their gleaming hulls first arrived in the early 19th century, revolutionized mass transportation, and quickly became symbols of modernity and the human condition. Among other ideas, they represent, in … Continue reading “The Girl on the Train” Misses Its Destination

Uneven, Yet Rousing, “The Birth of a Nation” Offers Narrative Agency to Nat Turner and Company

The Birth of a Nation (Nate Parker, 2016) A fiery mix of Haile Gerima’s 1993 cinematic bloodbath Sankofa, which profiles a West Indian slave uprising, and Steve McQueen’s 2013 meditative 12 Years a Slave, which contemplates the toll wrought by slavery on all involved in its implementation, Nate Parker’s rousing The Birth of a Nation, a dramatized retelling of Nat … Continue reading Uneven, Yet Rousing, “The Birth of a Nation” Offers Narrative Agency to Nat Turner and Company

3 New Pieces: @filmfesttoday on Tribeca Film Institute + @hammertonail on “Audrie & Daisy” (interview) & “Cameraperson” (review)

I had three new pieces published this week on two of the sites for which I write, Film Festival Today and Hammer to Nail. One was a profile of the grant opportunities available for indie and emerging filmmakers at the Tribeca Film Institute; another was an interview with filmmaker Bonni Cohen, co-director of the documentary Audrie & Daisy … Continue reading 3 New Pieces: @filmfesttoday on Tribeca Film Institute + @hammertonail on “Audrie & Daisy” (interview) & “Cameraperson” (review)

In “Goat,” Bucks Misbehave

[Note: This review will also appear on Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to it here.] Goat (Andrew Neel, 2016) Based on Brad Land’s 2004 memoir of the same name, Goat tells a tale of college hazing run amok. We find ourselves at a nondescript university probably somewhere in the South (in real life, … Continue reading In “Goat,” Bucks Misbehave

“Queen of Katwe” Offers Inspiration, In Spite of Formula

Queen of Katwe (Mira Nair, 2016) From Indian-American director Mira Nair (The Namesake) comes this sweet , if also saccharine, tale of how one very talented and smart, if also desperately poor, Ugandan girl was able to become an international chess star. Based on a true story, the film follows young Phiona (newcomer Madina Nalwanga) as she rises from the … Continue reading “Queen of Katwe” Offers Inspiration, In Spite of Formula

“Magnificent Seven” Falls Short of Its Titular Aspirations, Yet Gets the Job Done

[Note: This review will also appear on Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to it here.] Magnificent Seven (Antoine Fuqua, 2016) Acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa released his nearly three-and-a-half-hour epic Seven Samurai in 1954. Six years later, American director John Sturges helmed a Hollywood adaptation – at only two hours and eight minutes, … Continue reading “Magnificent Seven” Falls Short of Its Titular Aspirations, Yet Gets the Job Done