Christopher Llewellyn Reed's Blog, page 64
February 12, 2016
In Self-Congratulatory, Smug and Intellectually Lazy “Where to Invade Next,” It’s Michael Moore Who Needs Saving
Where to Invade Next (Michael Moore, 2015) Where to invade next? Where to start . . . ? Filmmaker Michael Moore begins with a mildly funny satirical construct: travel the world as a representative of the United States, interview citizens of other countries, and then, once their superior (to ours) social systems are revealed, plant the American […]
Jokey Violence and All, the Delightful “Deadpool” Reinvigorates Its Genre
Deadpool (Tim Miller, 2016) As I feel obliged to mention every time I write a review of a new film from the Marvel universe, I am not an aficionado of any comic-book series, anywhere or anyhow. Except for one brief period in my life, in my early twenties, when I desperately wanted to do anything but write […]
February 6, 2016
Another “Hammer to Nail” (Festival) Triptych: “Fursonas,” “Rams” and “All These Sleepless Nights”
Over the past two weeks, Hammer to Nail published three reviews of mine for films that played at recent film festivals, one at Slamdance and two at Sundance: Fursonas, Rams and All These Sleepless Nights. Enjoy!
February 5, 2016
“Roughly Speaking” on “Hail, Caesar!” and the Coen Brothers
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 the just-released Hail, Caesar! and the work of the Coen Brothers (Joel and Ethan) in toto. If you’re a fan – of us, Dan […]
In Brilliant “45 Years,” the Past Derails the Present
45 Years (Andrew Haigh, 2015) Pity the poor Tom Courtenay (Quartet). He’s a marvelous actor, yet paired opposite the grand Charlotte Rampling (Never Let Me Go) – Oscar-nominated for this film – he cannot help but pale in comparison. He’s very good; she’s brilliant. Of course, his role here is to play the more doddering […]
“Hail, Caesar!” – We Salute Thy Cleverness, but Not Your Script
Hail, Caesar! (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2016) I sometimes struggle over what to make of the films of Joel and Ethan Coen. Certain ones, I adore. These include: Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy (hardly a popular choice, but I love it just the same), Fargo, A Serious Man and True Grit. In others, while I may enjoy parts, I do […]
January 29, 2016
Skadoosh! “Kung Fu Panda 3” Offers a Delightful (Possible) Conclusion to the Trilogy
Kung Fu Panda 3 (Alessandro Carloni/Jennifer Yuh) In the interest of full disclosure, I must announce that I went to college with one of the two screenwriters – Jonathan Aibel – of this new DreamWorks Animation picture. He and his longtime writing partner, Glenn Berger (whom I have never met), after first making a name for […]
After a Strong Start, “The Finest Hours” Drowns in Melodrama
The Finest Hours (Craig Gillespie, 2016) Based on the daring 1952 rescue of the oil tanker Pendleton by a Massachusetts-based Coast-Guard crew – or, rather, based on the book about that rescue – The Finest Hours does its best to immerse the audience in the derring-do of its heroes – and succeeds for a while – before merely […]
January 25, 2016
Review of “All Things Must Pass” on “Hammer to Nail”
Colin Hanks’ wonderful documentary about the rise and fall of Tower Records, All Things Must Pass, was released on disc last week, and so I wrote a full review of the film for Hammer to Nail. Here is the link. Enjoy!
January 22, 2016
“Mojave” Gets Lost in Its Own Desert
Mojave (William Monahan, 2015) The best I can say about Mojave is that it improves significantly as it proceeds. However, since its opening is a dismal dramatic wasteland, that is scant praise, indeed. Starring Garrett Hedlund (On the Road) and Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), and written and directed by William Monahan (Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Departed, […]
