Tag: january 2022
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In ‘Scarecrow,’ the Small Details Count the Most
Photographer turned filmmaker Jerry Schatzberg’s unpolished, expansive direction complements his characters’ dawdling, their ever-changing relationship, and the wide-open possibilities of the road.
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‘Vera Drake’ is Devastating
The arc of ‘Vera Drake’ engenders some thriller-like tension but never rises into the sensationalism it easily could.
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‘The Package’ Does Exactly What It’s Supposed To
‘The Package’ is all smart and watchable without being transcendent.
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The Exhausting Cleverness of ‘Scream 5’
This nonetheless fun sequel’s nonstop self-awareness can tread into overkill territory.
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‘Bacurau’: Thoughtful Thrills
Filho and Dornelles seamlessly prop up fun without curtailing the very-real horrors of colonialism and political malfeasance their story evokes.
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In ‘A Hero,’ A Good Deed Goes Bad
In ‘A Hero,’ an act of good samaritanism slowly morphs into what feels like the onset of a curse.
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‘Heist’ Energizes the One-Last-Job Cliché
The performances are universally good. Everyone has a tight handle on so-called “Mamet speak”; no one ever comes across merely as a device for the wicked games to continue.
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‘Night Moves’: It’s Hard to Be a Hero
The most interesting thing about ‘Night Moves’ is not the details of its snarled-up narrative but the psychological and emotional complications that inform it.
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‘Get Shorty’: A Loan Shark’s Hollywood Dreams
‘Get Shorty’ is such a breezy movie that even the violence has a levity.
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Simon Rex is Perfectly Cast in ‘Red Rocket’
Plus: Joel Coen’s visually inspired but inessential ‘Macbeth’ adaptation.
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Torment
On ‘The Lost Daughter’ and ‘The Humans.’
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My Favorite First-Time Watches of 2021
My favorite movies I saw in 2021 that weren’t released that year.
Peterson Reviews 