weekly digest: three reviews! woo-hoo!
everything that happened at Flick Filosopher from Monday, April 8, to Sunday, April 14
It felt great this past week to do some real writing and share some of it with the world.
Here’s to more of the same this week…
—MaryAnn
new at flick filosopher, Apr 08–14
The Trouble with Jessica movie review: mortgaged souls
The pleasures of this black comedy about London real estate and the hypocrisies of posh professionals lie in the terrific cast, especially Shirley Henderson, embodying entertainingly horrible people. [read the review | cinemas UK]
curated cinema: when fame kills art [pictured]
The 2015 documentary Amy is on Max in the US and on Prime in the UK (and other services, too). [read more]
Civil War movie review: a craven view from nowhere
A spineless dystopian action drama that defaults to a dangerously irresponsible both-sides-ism; its pretense of “objectivity” is unfair to the journalist protagonists the film thinks it’s championing. [read the review | cinemas US/UK]
curated cinema: taking “Christian film” (but not Christians) down a notch
2020’s Faith Based is on Prime and Tubi in the US, wedotv in the UK (and other services, too). [read more]
Late Night with the Devil movie review: haunted by an AI specter
Uniquely fresh yet also deeply lodged in the history of cinematic horror, with a powerful breakout performance from David Dastmalchian. But its triumph is, ironically, marred by the use of “AI” “art.” [read the review | cinemas US/UK]
behold the Beyond the Sight & Sound Canon (I’m one of the critic contributors)
I have never been a part of the Sight & Sound poll, so I was extra excited to be asked to contribute to this project. [read more]
what I’m watching and bingeing
Ripley [Netflix globally]: I’m six episodes into this eight-part slow-burn adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel; looks gorgeous and Andrew Scott is chilling; Johnny Flynn and Dakota Fanning are also terrific
Star Trek: Discovery S5 [Paramount+ globally; via Prime US, Prime UK]: it’s been so long since S4 ended (more than two years) that I honestly can’t recall whether I even watched S4 and the episode recaps don’t ring any bells; but I’m diving into S5 anyway…
The X-Files [Hulu US/Disney+ UK]: started S2, which opens with the X-Files shut down and Mulder and Scully reassigned — separately! (I had forgotten this…)
Slow Horses S2 [Apple TV+ globally]: still haven’t gotten back to this…
coming up at Flick Filosopher…
road trip drama Bleeding Love, starring father and daughter Ewan and Clara McGregor
queer parody The People’s Joker
Dev Patel’s directorial debut, Monkey Man
lesbian crime romance Love Lies Bleeding
And I have not forgotten about these:
Ava DuVernay’s Origin
Paleolithic thriller Out of Darkness
Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers
the absolutely brutal The Zone of Interest
Paul Giamatti in Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers
Wonka, finally
Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction
based-on-fact family wrestling drama The Iron Claw
Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon
Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn
Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore in May December
Priscilla’s problematic romance with Elvis
teen comedy Bottoms
Barbie, finally, for real, promise
murder mystery Anatomy of a Fall
tween classic onscreen Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.
And more!
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Re Star Trek Discovery, I had the exact same experience - the S4 recap drew a blank. Maybe I stopped watching because I could no longer handle Michael's whispering. I may wait for the upcoming movie with Michelle Yeo. Strange New Worlds is far superior anyway.