Posts tagged emma stone
REVIEW: ‘Bugonia’ is a bugged-out conspiracy comedy - or is it?

If Bugonia is more of a thriller with a particularly mordant edge, is it satisfying? There are undeniably some images here I’ll never forget, especially from the amazing ending, which I won’t spoil. Everything leading up to that ending, unfortunately, resembled a somewhat low-energy stage play, punctuated by the aforementioned bursts of action.

Read More
REVIEW: ‘Eddington’ shoots its social commentary from the hip

Aster’s new film is so jam-packed with ideas and observations about 2020 that they spill out of the screenplay, like the blood that eventually soaks the sands of Eddington, New Mexico. It’s not hard to figure out where Aster is going with the movie — the tone is pitch-black satire — but it’s the repetition of the material that becomes its stumbling block. I’ve seen at least one take that this reiteration is intentional, meant to imitate the experience of scrolling through social media and seeing the same faces flood your device with opinions. Even if that’s true, the film would have been better as a tighter, more targeted critique of our preoccupations during a bewildering era.

Read More
[VIFF 2018] REVIEW: Lanthimos delivers on "The Favourite"

Of course, there’s the usual palace intrigue – secret things are done and said in darkly lit corners, and the usual extravagance of the rich, including a candlelit ball and a duck race, are all present – but it’s presented in such a Lanthimosian manner it’s equal parts funny and somewhat disturbing.

Read More