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IR Film Review: FLINCH [Ardor]
While the film wants to have harks to "Sicario" and "Scarface" in certain ways, especially with the inclusion of Steven Bauer (from "Scarface") as the father, it is the imbalances of an independent production that come through (though it does the best with what it has).
IR Film Review: NEWS OF THE WORLD [Universal]
Like their previous collaboration with "Captain Phillips", Hanks and director Paul Greengrass try to keep the action and journey as grounded as possible. With the exception of a few massive overhead CG shots, it keeps with them on the trail or over a fire. The movie has scope but it plays in intimate terms.
IR Film Review: THE WEASEL’S TALE [Outsider]
With "The Weasel's Tale", the aspect of a film within a film or a story about show business can be a standard in reflexivity and therefore meta. What it does here is bring out the fact of what the different people that populate this certain house of a former famous actress represent.
IR Film Review: BILLIE [Greenwich]
The essence of Billie Holiday's story as told through the new documentary "Billie" is both indicative and reflective in its perspective. Billie Holiday was a hard partier and seemed to pursue a life of drama and conflict. As always there is so much to explain below the surface.
IR Film Review: MANK [Netflix]
With "Mank", Fincher stepped out of his comfort zone on the extreme petulance at times of the human condition and places it more squarely in the notion of talent versus self-loathing. His father wrote the script of Herman Mankewicz, a gifted writer, who was always on the periphery of greatness.
IR Film Review: SUPERINTELLIGENCE [HBO Max]
McCarthy is not bad. Her timing is inevitably right on point. It is just the overall possibility of the plot seems beneath her. Many directors (specifically Paul Feig) know that it is about skirting the edge with McCarthy and how to focus her talent. Her beauty is being almost out of control but with a heart.
IR Film Review: BELUSHI [Showtime]
While many have heard bits and different tellings of John Belushi's story over the years, it really comes down to psychology, dependence, childhood and an essence of fate in his own head and the chaos swirling around him and the expectation for him that came with it.
IR Film Review: ON THE ROCKS [A24/AppleTV+]
"On The Rocks" is a tale of perspective but also misdirects. It is pretty much a two-hander between Rashida Jones as a daughter whose husband may or may not be straying and her father, a relentless charmer who sometimes is misled in the form of Bill Murray.
IR Film Review: TESLA [IFC]
The ideal of Nikola Tesla as a structure of vision is well documented but his history and prevalence is not. In approaching Tesla as an independent, director Michael Almereyda wants to create a balance of a person haunted by fame but yet in awe of it. His ideas are revolutionary and yet the idea of how to present them to the masses is fraught.