(2018—Director: Björn L. Runge) — by Renard N. Bansale — High ★★★½ (out of 5 stars) “Please don’t paint me as a victim; I am much more interesting than that.” — Joan Castleman (Glenn Close) to Nathaniel Bone (Christian Slater) Potential spoilers below While the cinematic medium honors its origins in photography twenty-four times per second, it also takes much …
‘Searching’: The Best Film the Screen POV Gimmick Will Ever Produce
(2018—Director: Aneesh Chaganty) — by Renard N. Bansale — Low ★★★★ (out of 5 stars) “I didn’t know her. I didn’t know my daughter.” — David Kim (John Cho) to Det. Sgt. Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing) “As a parent myself, I can only imagine what you’re feeling.” — Det. Sgt. Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing) to David Kim (John Cho) Potential …
The Wonders of Human Connection in ‘The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl’
(2018—Director: Masaaki Yuasa) — by Renard N. Bansale — Low ★★★★½ (out of 5 stars) “Senpai, what a coincidence!” “By chance, I was passing by.” — “The Girl With Black Hair” (Kana Hanazawa) and “Senpai” (Gen Hoshino) “Why do you drink?” “I was led by those I was fated to meet.” — Rihaku-san (Mugihito) and “The Girl With Black Hair” …
Coarse & Condensed Action Thrills in ‘Mile 22’
(2018—Director: Peter Berg) — by Renard N. Bansale — High ★★½ (out of 5 stars) “A battlefield could be a room with two people in it. That’s chaos. That’s fog.” — Overwatch Agent James Silva (Mark Wahlberg) to an unknown journalist Potential spoilers below In the crowded last third of the 2016 movie season, audiences had the opportunity to experience …
Undercover Shenanigans to Combat Racism in ‘BlacKkKlansman’
(2018—Director: Spike Lee) — by Renard N. Bansale — Low ★★★★ (out of 5 stars) “With the right white man, we can do anything.” — Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) to Chief Bridges (Robert John Burke) Potential spoilers below The piano and wails of the late musician Prince in his 1983 cover of “Mary Don’t You Weep” play over the …
‘Christopher Robin’: An Adorable Little “Expotition”
(2018—Director: Marc Forster) — by Renard N. Bansale — High ★★★ (out of 5 stars) “People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” — Winnie the Pooh (voiced by Jim Cummings) to Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) Potential spoilers below “Gotta get up / I gotta get goin’ / I’m gonna see a friend of mine…” I first …
Tom Cruise is Unstoppable in ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’
(2018—Director: Christopher McQuarrie) — by Renard N. Bansale — Low ★★★★ (out of 5 stars) “There has never been peace without first a great suffering. The greater the suffering, the greater the peace.” — Opening to “The Apostles’ Manifesto”, composed by John Lark (?????) Potential spoilers below (and just above) Writer-director Christopher McQuarrie has uninstalled the revolving door of directors …
Young Teens & Bright Screens Flock Awkwardly in ‘Eighth Grade’
(2018—Director: Bo Burnham) — by Renard N. Bansale — Low ★★★★ (4 out of 5 stars) “You can’t be brave without being scared.” — Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher), from her YouTube video “How to Be Confident” Potential spoilers below Hey, guys! It’s Renard, back with another review. Um… “Oh my gosh, look at that fluffy unicorn! He’s so fluffy I’m …
Renard’s Mid-Year Report on Cinema in 2018
— by Renard N. Bansale — The peak of the 2018 summer movie season has passed us. Some in the cinema world have begun staring deep into the horizon for the expected annual onslaught of Oscar contenders that seek to attract awards voters throughout autumn and winter. Before I even consider doing that, I would like to take a moment …
Entanglements of a Quantum Nature in ‘Ant-Man & the Wasp’
(2018—Director: Peyton Reed) — by Renard N. Bansale — Low ★★★½ (out of 5 stars) “Do you guys just put the word ‘quantum’ in front of everything?” — Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) to Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburne), Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) Potential spoilers below I had mentioned in the #9 entry (Baby Driver) of …