I wrote three reviews this week! (almost feels like the Before Times)
everything that happened at Flick Filosopher between Monday, May 3rd, and Sunday, May 9th, 2021 (and one thing from the week before)
No, there was no Flick Filosopher weekly digest last week, because I barely wrote a thing. Perhaps not surprising, after I said in this space two weeks ago that “I’ve been feeling very blah about movies, finding it very difficult to manage the headspace watching a new film and pondering it for review — and then writing the review — requires.”
That said, it felt good to be able to write as much as I did this past week, and that can be a self-reinforcing feeling. Let’s see how this week goes!
—MaryAnn
new at flick filosopher, May 03–09 (and one thing sneaking in from Apr 30)
My Octopus Teacher documentary review: out of the way, human (#Netflix)
This otherwise gorgeous nature documentary is marred by the banal self-therapy of its human protagonist… and he is nowhere near as interesting as the manic pixie dream octopus who changes his life. [read the review | streaming globally on Netflix]
new and ongoing dvd/blu/vod releases, US/Can, Apr 30–May 07
Street Gang, a delightful documentary about Sesame Street; Paper Spiders, a morose melodrama about a mentally ill mom; more… [get the full rundown]
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street documentary review: street smart, street wise
I bawled my eyes out in aching nostalgia with this absolutely delightful dive into the creation of the educational TV show and its carefully crafted chaos that had an outsized impact on Generation X. [read the review | streaming US/Can, see review for links]
new and ongoing dvd/blu/vod releases, UK/Ire, Apr 30–May 07
Best Picture winner Nomadland, provocative father-son drama Cowboys, videogame flick Mortal Kombat, and more… [get the full rundown]
Nomadland movie review: ain’t that America [pictured]
Come on down for a gen-u-ine American dystopia at the crossroads of end-of-empire and late-stage capitalism. Chloé Zhao’s outsider’s eye is hugely sympathetic but unhindered by knee-jerk patriotism. [read the review | streaming US/Can/UK, see review for links]
how black lives have not mattered
Movies for understanding racism and white supremacy in America. (A teaser of an essay for Patreon patrons and Substack subscribers only.) [read more]
Tweet of the week…
coming up at Flick Filosopher…
Oscar’s Best Animated Feature Soul and Best International Feature Another Round
Mortal Kombat, even though I don’t know much about the game
maybe some of the others I’ve been trying to get to for the past few weeks…
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