The Lost Daughter a staggering performance piece that gets lost in plot

The Lost Daughter is a nonconforming film with a structure that’s generally been reserved from male leads. Olivia Colman, one of the true great thespians of our time, tackles this role that paints her as an entirely unsympathetic figure, grappling with choosing freedom over responsibility. It’s the renegade father archetype depicted by a regretful yet honest woman that makes The Lost Daughter interesting. However, in attempting to unearth her character’s wounds, the script globs onto other characters’ lives and tells a less interesting plot, as opposed to the real story of Colman’s character.
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Licorice Pizza is the California hangout film Paul Thomas Anderson was destined to make

Paul Thomas Anderson making the film he was always destined to make in Licorice Pizza. A breezy, rambling teenage romance, exploring the eccentricities of being a California kid in the 1970s. The film succeeds by the PTA screenplay and the two leading performances. Cooper Hoffman, son of PTA’s former collaborator Philip Seymour Hoffman, is marvelous and the dynamic with Alana Haim is so alluring. Yet, the plot is nonexistent, making the character work crucial to falling in rhythm with the storytelling. 
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The Matrix: Resurrections an Intriguing Empty Shell of a Reboot

The original Matrix serves as one of those eye-opening cinematic experiences for a person my age, so my connection to the trilogy runs deep. Watching The Matrix: Revolutions (2003) in theaters was a turning point for me in the formative years, so seeing another Matrix movie released 18 years later didn’t feel real. Despite my hesitancy towards a new Matrix, considering the sequel culture of Hollywood right now, I had decently high hopes for it. And unfortunately, those hopes were dashed quickly and often by the exact fears I once held.
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CERTIFIED WEIRD: The Tragedy of Macbeth a towering avant-garde performance piece

he awe striking visual element from Bruno Delbonnel leans into the surrealism of Joel’s vision for this adaption of Macbeth. There’s an encroaching darkness in the atmosphere, spurred on by the incredible performances and harrowing sense of dread in the black. The entire cast delivers the source material to unbelievable, discerning highs.  … More CERTIFIED WEIRD: The Tragedy of Macbeth a towering avant-garde performance piece

Oscar Awards Roundup: Biggest Critics Winners

The Best Picture race is starting to shape with the release of critics choice and Golden Globe nominations. Many of the largest and most influential regional critics awards have already come and gone. At this point, we’re in the full swing of Award season and it’s time to determine the frontrunners before the real precursors begin. 
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CERTIFIED WEIRD: Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta a triumph of provocation

Paul Verhoeven always creates lived-in worlds and his retelling of Saint Benedetta’s life in the Catholic church is PURE Verhoeven. Impending darkness presiding over a sexual awakeneing, provoking the audience with every subsequent scene. It’s a beautiful rendering of sexual freedom through the guise of religious restriction. It’s violent and bloody. Apocryphal and full of juicy drama. Plus, filled with damning religious imagery and powerful metaphors. What we’re left with is one of Verhoeven’s best films.
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CERTIFIED WEIRD: Silent Night is an unbalanced black comedy with little laughs

The concept behind Camille Griffin’s holiday black comedy Silent Night had potential, but the tonal balance of the film betrays the comedy elements, melodrama, and warped sentimentality. It sets out to make a Hallmark moment Holiday extravaganza while looking directly into the eye of impending doom. The ensemble piece takes center stage at the end of the world slash Christmas get-together, as the script slowly but surely reveals more damning plot details.  … More CERTIFIED WEIRD: Silent Night is an unbalanced black comedy with little laughs

Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” a fiercely complex character piece

Character driven, methodically paced storytelling from Jane Campion. The Power of the Dog can be an empowering journey of inner discovery, but most of the film is spent in a cesspool of toxic masculinity, reaffirming machismo. It’s a muddled and complex rendering of Thomas Savage’s novel, showing these characters as brutish and consciously flawed.
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The 26th Annual Satellite Award Nominations – Belfast, Dune and The Power of the Dog show Strength

The 26th annual Satellite Award nominations are here. The internationally based awards body has a decent to obtuse track record of matching up with the Oscars. Chloe Zhao walked away with director and picture last year, but in 2019, Ford V. Ferrari won best Drama. It’s a mixed bag. … More The 26th Annual Satellite Award Nominations – Belfast, Dune and The Power of the Dog show Strength