Category: reviews

2019 / afi fest / afi fest 2019 / david bax / movies / reviews / Theatrical Review

November 24, 2019

AFI Fest 2019: Hala, by David Bax

Hala (Geraldine Viswanathan) loves poetry. She reads it, writes it and recites it to her classmates and her whole world changes when she discovers that her crush, a fellow skateboarder named Jesse (Jack Kilmer), shares her passion. But Hala, the...

2019 / afi fest / afi fest 2019 / david bax / movies / reviews / Theatrical Review

November 23, 2019

AFI Fest 2019: Balloon, by David Bax

In the first of a few trips into town the farming family in Pema Tseden’s Balloon makes–exciting events, even if usually necessitated by something unpleasant–we see propagandistic signage encouraging people to plan their families wisely. We will come to realize...

dave platt / movies / reviews / Theatrical Review

November 22, 2019

Dark Waters: The System Doesn’t Protect Us, We Do, by Dave Platt

The opening sequence of Dark Waters begins on the quiet streets of Parkersburg, West Virginia, in 1975. The atmosphere is one of a small country town, ordinary folks living peaceful lives, serenaded by country music on the radio. But as...

2019 / afi fest / afi fest 2019 / featured / movies / reviews / scott nye / Theatrical Review

November 21, 2019

AFI Fest 2019: A Hidden Life, by Scott Nye

Terrence Malick, among many other notable things about his career, has to be one of the few artists who’s become more radical, introspective, and confrontational the more he’s embraced Christianity. While his films, starting at least with 1978’s Days of...

afi fest 2019 / movies / reviews / scott nye / Theatrical Review

November 21, 2019

AFI Fest 2019: Beanpole, by Scott Nye

Young men, ever eager to make their mark on the world, have a habit of steering hard into a sort of aggressive, pummeling style when making their first few features. Some find a captivating rhythm within that; others flounder, searching...

2019 / afi fest / afi fest 2019 / david bax / movies / reviews / Theatrical Review

November 20, 2019

AFI Fest 2019: Deerskin, by David Bax

Quentin Dupieux has established a reputation for creating his own reality–or his own Reality (2014). In many ways, that holds true for his newest, Deerskin. But the movie’s biggest surprise (and the reason for its success) is how disturbingly relatable...

2019 / afi fest / afi fest 2019 / david bax / movies / reviews / Theatrical Review

November 20, 2019

AFI Fest 2019: The Friend, by David Bax

We can argue about to what extent a film critic is supposed to be a consumer advocate but I will at least use this very simple platform to warn you that, if you’re planning to see Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s The Friend,...

afi fest 2019 / movies / reviews / scott nye / Theatrical Review

November 18, 2019

AFI Fest 2019: To the Ends of the Earth, by Scott Nye

At first, there is nothing; nothing but yourself, your shabby collection of maps, and signs that could mean anything. You get off the bus or the train into a sea of meaninglessness. This is how To the Ends of the...

afi fest 2019 / movies / reviews / scott nye / Theatrical Review

November 18, 2019

AFI Fest 2019: The Truth, by Scott Nye

Hirokazu Koreeda, having achieved consistent success in his home country of Japan and taken the global stage by storm with last year’s Shoplifters, has broadened his view to the west, as many Asian directors of great renown tend to –...

2019 / afi fest / afi fest 2019 / david bax / movies / reviews / Theatrical Review

November 17, 2019

AFI Fest 2019: Clemency, by David Bax

Chinonye Chukwu brings no poetry to the long opening sequence of Clemency. Far from a complaint, though, that observation is a recommendation and also a warning. If you’re expecting a run of the mill issue advocacy movie from Chukwu’s death...

Category: reviews

AFI Fest 2019: Hala, by David Bax

AFI Fest 2019: Balloon, by David Bax

Dark Waters: The System Doesn’t Protect Us, We Do, by Dave Platt

AFI Fest 2019: A Hidden Life, by Scott Nye

AFI Fest 2019: Beanpole, by Scott Nye

AFI Fest 2019: Deerskin, by David Bax

AFI Fest 2019: The Friend, by David Bax

AFI Fest 2019: To the Ends of the Earth, by Scott Nye

AFI Fest 2019: The Truth, by Scott Nye

AFI Fest 2019: Clemency, by David Bax

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