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(10/22/18 12:00pm)
Successfully translating literature for the screen rests in capturing the details of the written word without wearing out the audience. In the case of Swedish Director Björn Runge’s adaptation of the 2003 novel The Wife by Meg Wolitzer, the writer and the power of the word are at the epicenter of this simmering relationship drama. The ramifications of literary genius become the narrative thrust of the film, where the pacing is determined by the conditions of the characters’ inner lives. The result is a film that moves slowly, but deliberately, with every look, gesture, and word building to a blazing crescendo. Meticulous attention to detail is how The Wife makes a not particularly innovative but worthwhile story burn slowly into an intelligent reflection on the dynamics of image, recognition, gender, and talent in the life of a writer.
(10/17/18 12:00pm)
I’ll be honest. I had never heard of A Star is Born before two weeks ago. But one quick Google search revealed that the upcoming film would include some of my favorite stars of today—Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Dave Chapelle… the list goes on.
(10/16/18 12:00pm)
Bad Times at the El Royale is a haunted carnival ride that speeds with excitement in the beginning, slows down in the middle, yet doesn’t disappoint in the end. With its quirkiness, mystery, and thrill, it’s like Wes Anderson, Agatha Christie, and Quentin Tarantino mingled and produced a brilliant problem child.
(10/15/18 12:00pm)
I love Riverdale. I love the eeriness that looms in every episode, the mysteries that keep you on your toes, the idyllic, 50s–esque atmosphere that, like almost all the characters on the show, has a dark side to it. I also love the friendships and relationships. I even love the unrealistic plot twists.
(10/21/18 12:00pm)
Hellishly funny, yet ethically inspiring, season three of The Good Place is a perfect philosophical comedy. In a way, nothing has changed; the corny jokes and feel–good humor still prevail.
(10/16/18 12:00pm)
There were highs and there were lows in Jonah Hill’s 10–year–long transformation from pudgy and easy–to–laugh–at Seth from Superbad to a fully–matured, elegant and brilliant director. There was that time he wore a fedora to a Superbad showing in 2007, but then there was also that time Jonah dyed his hair pink and looked better than anyone expected. But nothing will out–do this time where Jonah Hill takes a step outside of the camera shot and assumes his new role behind the camera on October 19th as the director of his first film “Mid90s.”
(10/20/18 12:00pm)
“Based on a true story...” These are familiar words to any fan of horror films (or even dabblers in the occasional Halloween scare). A few recent, big–name horror flicks that make this boast are The Conjuring and The Strangers, as does the ever–prolific The Exorcist. Most of these “true stories” are unique instances of terror and oddities that happen to different people by different people. There is, however, one true story that has roots in a number of classic horror films, even propagating its own breed of horror tropes. The story is about Ed Gein.
(10/22/18 12:00pm)
After writing about Ghibli Fest, I was reminded of the genius of Hayao Miyazaki's movies and the influence they have had on my life, specifically how one movie has shaped me. Whisper of the Heart is my all–time favorite movie. As I have grown up, it has been a constant source of inspiration and support–so much so that twenty three years after its initial release, during my first semester at Penn, I find myself watching it once more in search of a warm sense of home.
(10/11/18 12:00pm)
I Feel Bad, on paper, looks like it should be a bad show. Perhaps I’m a pessimist, but when I see the phrase “hard–working mom juggling her work with her home life” or “modern feminist take,” I recoil with distrust. There are implications that have been ingrained in me at a young age: I imagine white women with their blonde hair pulled into a messy bun, ordering their children around without any semblance of positive parenting techniques. This woman’s power is in her meanness, which is a narrative not just pushed onto mothers, but white women in general. She is not nice, organized, or caring. She is a Powerful Woman who has Control of Her Life, or, perhaps, she does not have Control of Her Life, but she has no control in a Sexy–Depressed Way.
(10/12/18 12:00pm)
Delivering a healthy dose of reality in unexpected ways is what good comedy does. It takes the truth, reimagines it along the lines of a joke, a situation, or a story, and, if timed just right, results in uncontrollable fits of laughter. Sometimes, it also makes us think, and in the case of Netflix’s Big Mouth, it makes us remember. In its second season, this animated and irreverent exploration of puberty employs absurdity to tackle real–world issues, the pain and perils of growing up, and all that adolescence can teach us about the world. What was already a successful piece of television for its sheer ability to walk a fine line of tolerable vulgarity and ridiculousness has become a lens for reflection on life’s messiness.
(10/15/18 12:00pm)
The Neighborhood’s pilot opens with Max Greenfield (of recently–ended New Girl fame), Beth Behrs (from the also cancelled 2 Broke Girls), and the young Hank Greenspan as their son. They are sitting in a car, heavy–handedly laying out the show’s exposition: they are moving because of Behrs’s new job as a school principal. They’re a simple family with liberal–minded values. The son, Grover, mentions that his grandmother disapproves of them moving to a black neighborhood. To prove it, he begins counting the number of black people on the street.
(10/02/18 12:00pm)
If the 2018 Primetime Emmy Awards were defined by one show, it would be “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” which won five awards, the most of any television show this year. It also won five out of six major category nominations, an extremely high return when compared with shows such as Game of Thrones (two out of seven) and The Assassination of Gianni Versace (three out of nine.) A so called Emmys “sweep” is great for the show that gets the prizes, but is generally bad for the television industry.
(10/15/18 12:00pm)
Studio Ghibli Fest, a celebration of one of the most acclaimed Japanese animation studios' works, is a national collaboration that began in 2017 between GKIDS and Fathom Events that brings films from Studio Ghibli onto the big screen in the States. From March to November, one film a month is shown in theaters across America for three days only. Whether you’re a diehard Studio Ghibli fan or you’ve never watched a Ghibli film before, there’s something in these beloved films—and this festival—for everyone.
(10/04/18 12:00pm)
Don’t get me wrong: The Predator is part of a long line of second–rate reboots used to scrape every dollar out of a good idea like an almost–empty Nutella jar. That being said, this one is worth every penny.
(10/02/18 11:00am)
Even though LA native Sonari Chidi (C '20) never envisioned himself behind the scenes of a documentary, there was a key element to documentary filmmaking that drew him to it: the ability to give a direct voice to those that are often ignored. This is what he does in his film, Shattering Refuge, in which he explores the media’s representation of refugees. He interviewed refugee filmmakers in Kenya, asylum recipients and immigrants in the U.S., as well as reporters who report on refugee and asylum issues.
(10/02/18 12:00pm)
A gorgeous, radiant chronicle of the many connections that created the universe grace the opening moments of Maniac, showcasing the masterful direction and ambitious scope of Netflix’s latest limited series. A well–produced, high–budget series like this one is a welcome return to form for the streaming giant. Maniac tackles the issue of human connection in today’s world, earning itself a place on everyone’s fall TV must–watch list.
(09/28/18 12:00pm)
Each year, the Film Society of Lincoln Center assembles a diverse lineup of movies from across the world to showcase at the annual New York Film Festival. In 2017, two little–known indie films snagged spots in NYFF55’s main slate of twenty–five movies. Months later, Call Me By Your Name and Lady Bird were launched into the mainstream, each nominated for the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Picture. If you’re like me, this lack of foresight about the future success of these two films had a direct consequence—the failure to meet Timothée Chalamet in person before he was taking selfies with Kobe Bryant and running around in Gucci suits.
(09/30/18 12:00pm)
“Things get confusing in a world with occasional magic and curses,” complains one villager in Disenchantment, Matt Groening’s newest Netflix endeavor. “While I am a fan of such worlds, I just feel some rules for what can and cannot happen would help us—" (then, he is promptly killed by a Viking soldier).
(09/29/18 12:00pm)
Star Trek fans are something of a dying breed. Compared to its somewhat sci–fi rival Star Wars, it is losing its popularity: according to a Forbes survey, 46% of people stated that they preferred Wars, while only 14% voted for Trek. Despite its similar, consistent release of films on–par with the third trilogy of Star Wars films, the latter earned almost one billion more in the box office compared to the latest Trek film. That doesn’t mean that Star Trek–related things are dying out, though. Television like The Simpsons and The Big Bang Theory rely on classic “nerd” references to Star Trek just as much as Star Wars. The debates over which is better are something of a cultural staple in the discussion of sci–fi. It seems that Star Trek references are more popular than the content itself. However, not all references get the show right for fans.
(09/24/18 12:00pm)
For too long, adult animation has been the domain of a certain cringey kind of humor. Classics like The Simpsons have gone downhill over the years, and shows like Family Guy and South Park now serve as embarrassing reminders of what we thought was funny in middle school; raunchy for the sake of being raunchy, proudly “anti–PC”, filled with gratuitous violence and annoying voices. It’s a hard trap to escape from—even more critically lauded recent shows like Rick and Morty and Bob’s Burgers not only have to establish themselves above these annoying tropes, but also attract some annoying fanbases mired in these mindsets. That’s not to say adult cartoons can’t be good, but for animators, getting their shows taken seriously is an uphill battle.
