Before “Kajillionaire”, I never suspected Richard Jenkins of any acting fraud. And with “The Last Shift”, which was suppose to be premiered before Covid took out the Sarasota Film Festival, Jenkins is back, possibly in his best role yet. In The Last Shift his character is once again, down and out and awkward, but with… Continue reading Now this is the Jenkins I Know: The Last Shift
Month: September 2020
Kajillion ways to improve Kajillionaire
I pat the couch like Sigmund and say, “Miranda, come sit over here. In fact, lay down and tell me what you wanted to communicate in this film.” I really enjoyed Miranda July’s “Me You And Everyone We Know,” back when through lines were a thing. Kajillionaire was billed as a comedy, but if I… Continue reading Kajillion ways to improve Kajillionaire
The Artist’s Wife: Almost 3-D
I really enjoyed The Artist’s Wife, but I have an old man crush on Bruce Dern, so own that bias. Actually I had a young man crush on him, too, even though I saw his younger man movies way after the fact. Bruce Dern has that amazing charm to be able to be a total… Continue reading The Artist’s Wife: Almost 3-D
The Devil All the Time (switch out Violence for Devil)
An often asked interview question is “if you could have four dinner guests, who would they be?” and typically, people name Jesus, Mother Teresa, Steve Jobs and Freud…you get the idea… Based on my viewing The Devil All the Time, I’d like to dine with Antonio and Paulo Campos (writers and director of said film),… Continue reading The Devil All the Time (switch out Violence for Devil)
The Nest Wasn’t Quite Empty Enough
Sean Durkin, director and writer of “Martha Marcy May Marlene” decided to spare us the word count with his latest of sparer title, “The Nest”. I wish his screenwriting could have also been trimmed. Don’t get me wrong, The Nest is worth seeing, especially if you’re in for a moody, gray foreboding Surrey landscape. Not… Continue reading The Nest Wasn’t Quite Empty Enough
Jimmy’s Middle Name Should be Joy: Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President
Jimmy Carter is one of those rare individuals who has truly lived a life of integrity. And I’m so glad Bill Flanagan helped write the documentary Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President. Additionally, I hope this is just the start of bigger projects for director Mary Wharton, though she’s no novice, having won a Grammy… Continue reading Jimmy’s Middle Name Should be Joy: Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President
A Kaufman Plug: Woman Under the Influence
Charlie Kaufman’s an influencer, not the Instagram type, more of the cinematic and literary type. Having attempted to read a book he mentions in Antkind (The Unfortunate Importance of Beauty, blech, a shallow, yet ironic attempt to analyze our fixation with beauty), I took a crack at Woman Under the Influence from 1974 (after the… Continue reading A Kaufman Plug: Woman Under the Influence
I’m Thinking of Ending Things, But Confusion Set In, Instead
I’m fixated on Charlie Kaufman lately, immediately falling in love with Antkind, his new epic comedy novel. So when it piggybacked (great callback that no one will appreciate unless they see “I’m Thinking of Ending Things”) a new movie he adapted from a novel by Iain Reid, I was in. But wait, an hour in… Continue reading I’m Thinking of Ending Things, But Confusion Set In, Instead
Robin’s Wish: A gorgeous documentary tribute (?)
Taken on the surface, Robin’s Wish is a loving tribute of Robin Williams by his wife, friends, neighbors and doctors directed and written by Tyler Norwood with the help of Scott Fitzloff, both worked together previously on another doc called The United States of Detroit, and both are specialists in cinematography. And the cinematography in… Continue reading Robin’s Wish: A gorgeous documentary tribute (?)