Category: Comedy

Velvet Buzzsaw☆☆☆ (2.5/5) 2/16/19

But is it art? No.

Back in the 90’s there was a brief but serious art world crush on Henry Darger, a mild-mannered custodian who obsessively painted and wrote about a tribe of heroic little Morton Salt girls. Straight up creepy and crazy to me, but marketed as crazy brilliance and deemed museum-worthy by an art world desperate for a new visionary.

Velvet Buzzsaw takes that idea to its logical horror movie final destination. It’s not particularly scary or insightful, but a ridiculously top shelf cast makes the movie way more entertaining than it should be.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s mostly naked body is cute af, but I have mixed feelings about his freaky recent performances. It’s nice to see him having fun but he’s heading into Depp territory, and I don’t mean that in a good way. Rene Russo is an actor that I have never really seen the appeal of, but she’s brilliant here. Billy Magnussen kills it again. I know he’s been around for a minute, but ever since I saw him in Ingrid Goes West, he’s consistently surprised me with standout work. Zawe Ashton is perfectly cast – she reminded me of a young Jaye Davidson, and I do mean that in a good way.

All their work isn’t exactly gilding a turd, but close enough for the metaphor to be relevant, given the subject matter.

The Favourite ☆☆☆ (3/5) 2/10/19

An early-18th-century All About Eve. There’s no substitute for Bette Davis, but the three modern heavy hitters do slay.

Not as thematically ambitious or overall successful as Yorgos Lanthimos last picture, Killing of a Sacred Deer, a whole lot of The Favourite seems half baked.

It doesn’t really matter though, because The Favourite is actually just a vehicle for its stars. And they’re great across the board. Olivia Colman is the big winner, but Emma Stone is a whole lot of fun as – arguably – the actor playing most against type.

It is also worth noting that the women of The Favourite get to be ugly hearted and unsympathetic in ways that women are rarely allowed in Hollywood movies. Which is cool, kind of.

This movie, with its anachronistic (but not inaccurate) approach to a historical rivalry reminded me most of Amadeus. I’m glad to see such an odd film get some acclaim, but I wish it had been more focused.

Hearts Beat Loud ☆☆☆☆ (4/5) 12/28/18

A feel-good sleeper with a great cast

I’m just going to say this up front: Blythe Danner is a fucking beast. She kills it in this movie in a very remarkable way. Toni Collette is having a great year, too, and although this isn’t her best role of the year (that’s Hereditary, which is on a par with her career best), her particular, eager warmth is always welcome.

If Hearts Beat Loud has a flaw, and it probably does, it’s the amount of time it devotes to Nick Offerman’s schlubby, self-absorbed dad. It’s a terrific performance, but I wanted more Kiersey Clemons, more sweet lesbian romance, less middle-aged ennui. Your Offerman mileage will vary according to your affection for/identification with him.

It’s a relief to watch a movie that hits some familiar emotional beats while still feeling so casual and personal. The stakes aren’t terribly high, but they feel honest and so the modest catharsis feels earned.

I’m a little in love with this one.