FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

Tomatometer-approved publication
Rating Title/Year Author
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band (2019) Lael Loewenstein This is interesting... There's a sadness to it. EDIT
Posted Feb 21, 2020
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band (2019) Christy Lemire I was never a big fan of The Band and this film did not necessarily make me one, but I appreciated learning more about the mythology. EDIT
Posted Feb 21, 2020
Goldie (2020) Christy Lemire [Slick Woods] has got this really striking presence, which is a lot of what drives this film and how compelling it is. EDIT
Posted Feb 21, 2020
The Woman Who Loves Giraffes (2018) Lael Loewenstein I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, because I think Anne Dagg's story is remarkable... But the problem with the film is too much B-roll. EDIT
Posted Feb 21, 2020
The Times of Bill Cunningham (2018) Christy Lemire This movie never begins to dare to know him better. EDIT
Posted Feb 21, 2020
The Times of Bill Cunningham (2018) Lael Loewenstein This is a good documentary... I found it a particularly fascinating document of someone of this vintage. EDIT
Posted Feb 21, 2020
Seberg (2019) Christy Lemire Everything about this is so superficial and the dialogue spells out absolutely everything. EDIT
Posted Feb 21, 2020
Premature (2019) Christy Lemire It truly is an independent film in all the best possible ways: in the authenticity of it, the sense of place, in the fact that you feel like you're watching true people figuring out their lives. EDIT
Posted Feb 21, 2020
Premature (2019) Lael Loewenstein The way the scenes were shot felt so fresh, so real, and so full of life. EDIT
Posted Feb 21, 2020
EMMA. (2020) Christy Lemire It feels so alive, fresh, and new like you've never seen before. EDIT
Posted Feb 21, 2020
Standing Up, Falling Down (0000) Christy Lemire The dialogue is so snappy. They have such terrific chemistry together that you want to spend time with them. EDIT
Posted Feb 21, 2020
Standing Up, Falling Down (0000) Lael Loewenstein A surprise and delight... I loved seeing Billy Crystal getting the chance to really act again. EDIT
Posted Feb 21, 2020
The Call of the Wild (2020) Lael Loewenstein I was taken out of the movie a few times by the CGI-enhanced dog... Just use real dogs! EDIT
Posted Feb 21, 2020
The Call of the Wild (2020) Christy Lemire It occupies a very uncomfortable middle ground in terms of the ideal audience that it's for... It's got some thrilling moments, but it has way too many cheesy moments. EDIT
Posted Feb 21, 2020
Violet Evergarden (2019) Charles Solomon I'm sorry that I didn't like it better... I couldn't get very much out of it. EDIT
Posted Feb 20, 2020
The Lodge (2019) Amy Nicholson This is one of those classy new horror films that I find very boring. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
José (2018) Peter Rainer It's an evocative movie... The big problem I have is that José as a character is a bit of a blank. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
And Then We Danced (2019) Peter Rainer It is sort of fascinating to see just how entrenched this old traditional way is in terms of sexual roles in this society. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
The Last Thing He Wanted (2020) Peter Rainer I found the whole narrative confusing. Even if you can parse it out, it doesn't add up to a whole lot. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
Kimi to, nami ni noretara (2019) Charles Solomon The film is very warm, very charming, and an example of how the Japanese are creating much more interesting animated heroines than we are. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
Come to Daddy (2019) Amy Nicholson Incredibly violent and very fun and very strange. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) Amy Nicholson A very regal romance... I think this film is fine and nice. It's very handsome. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
Beanpole (2019) Peter Rainer There are a lot of powerful scenes. It does end up being a little bit monotone... A little lightness would not have destroyed what was going on in this film. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
Downhill (2020) Amy Nicholson I feel like if Force Majeure had never existed, we'd really enjoy this movie for what it is. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
Downhill (2020) Peter Rainer It validates a saying that I have: don't remake the good movies, remake the bad movies that had a great concept. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
Ordinary Love (2019) Peter Rainer There's a generic aspect to it that I found off-putting for a film that touches so many nerves, but it is wonderful to see these two actors. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (2019) Charles Solomon This is wonderfully silly in that British, comic way that doesn't make a big thing out of being silly, but just is. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020) Amy Nicholson [Margot Robbie] herself is fantastic. The action choreography is pretty good... If I have a quibble: it has probably the worst needle drops of any movie in recent history. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
The Photograph (2020) Peter Rainer It's a little too soft and soupy. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) Peter Rainer Affectionate, charming, and genial. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) Amy Nicholson I was just thrilled to be reminded of everything Jim Carrey can do when he lets himself riff. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
Coda (2020) Wade Major I wish it was better than it was... It sounds like a great premise, but it's just not executed very skillfully. EDIT
Posted Jan 31, 2020
The Wonderland (2019) Wade Major Very charming. Not exactly Miyazaki-charming, but it certainly aspires to it. EDIT
Posted Jan 31, 2020
() Claudia Puig A fairly tense and involving pulpy thriller. The lead actress, Aasha Davis, is particularly good. EDIT
Posted Jan 31, 2020
Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words (2020) Wade Major It's very competent and primarily consists of a lengthy interview with Clarence Thomas... It's worth seeing. It doesn't give any time to opposing viewpoints, but it's not designed to. EDIT
Posted Jan 31, 2020
The Traitor (2019) Claudia Puig I just didn't think it was very involving... [There's] more data than a character arc. EDIT
Posted Jan 31, 2020
The Traitor (2019) Wade Major From just a narrative standpoint, it's very tight and quite interesting, but I didn't find myself emotionally drawn to anyone in particular. EDIT
Posted Jan 31, 2020
The Assistant (2019) Claudia Puig It's slow and it doesn't have bells and whistles. It all really hinges on [Julia Garner's] performance -- which is great. EDIT
Posted Jan 31, 2020
The Assistant (2019) Wade Major I love Julia Garner as an actress... and this is a great part for her. I just wish the movie were more substantial. EDIT
Posted Jan 31, 2020
Taylor Swift: Miss Americana (2020) Claudia Puig What I appreciated about it, and what gave me a healthy respect for [Taylor Swift], is that she's somebody who was dismissed as lightweight and she's come into her own... You see her growing. EDIT
Posted Jan 31, 2020
Gretel & Hansel (2020) Wade Major The movie is 87 minutes, but it feels long... Most of this is just visual weirdness. EDIT
Posted Jan 31, 2020
Gretel & Hansel (2020) Claudia Puig On the plus side, this has very striking production design and impressive cinematography... [But] it's bleak where it should be intense. It's stylish, but not very scary. EDIT
Posted Jan 31, 2020
The Rhythm Section (2020) Wade Major It wants to be pulpy on the one hand, but it also to feel very grounded in the other, and that results in a very strange matrix of tones throughout... It can't decide what kind of film it wants to be. EDIT
Posted Jan 31, 2020
The World of Henry Orient (1964) Tim Cogshell I love this film. Funnily, I don't think you could make this film today. EDIT
Posted Jan 24, 2020
John Henry (2020) Christy Lemire It never quite reaches its ambitious heights. It wants to be something, but it's kinda just a cheesy B-genre movie. EDIT
Posted Jan 24, 2020
Zombi Child (2019) Tim Cogshell It doesn't quite work, but I do like the idea behind this and there are some good performances. EDIT
Posted Jan 24, 2020
Elsewhere (2019) Christy Lemire This is a very uneven mix of sombre drama about grief and wacky comedy about redemption, and it doesn't really find its stride until halfway through... It's kind of lovely, but it takes a long time to get there. EDIT
Posted Jan 24, 2020
Elsewhere (2019) Tim Cogshell It's wildly erratic in tone. It needed to pick a lane and stay in that lane. EDIT
Posted Jan 24, 2020
Quezon's Game (2020) Tim Cogshell An interesting historical story here, not very well done in cinematic terms. EDIT
Posted Jan 24, 2020
Secret Zoo (2020) Christy Lemire It's very silly and very sweet, and I had a really good time. EDIT
Posted Jan 24, 2020