Smoke Signals
Made by Indians about Indians (we can say “Indians” rather than “Native Americans” because they themselves say it that way in the film), Smoke Signals creatively mixes humor from multiple angles (about...
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Watching Smoke Signals affected me in two distinct ways. The first comes from seeing Victor struggle with his father’s failings and offenses. Victor starts quite naturally with an external,...
View ArticleSmoke Signals
The most important part of the backstory for Smoke Signals is that it was written, produced, directed, and acted by Native Americans. This gives it a degree of credibility available to few other...
View ArticleThoroughly Modern Millie
Zany, crazy, tongue-in-cheek, just a bit over-the-top and, in its irony, light-heartedly insightful. Thoroughly Modern Millie is, all-in-all, fun — and a good example of filmic celebration of the...
View ArticleAway We Go
The love at the center of Away We Go is a beautiful thing to see, particularly because of how Burt & Verona tolerate each other, and it’s their relationship that reaches out and grabs me from the...
View ArticleAway We Go
With light-hearted seriousness, Away We Go romps us through a young couple’s search for life. Or, actually, their search is for a place to live, but of course there’s always a larger thing going on....
View ArticleThe Trip
The Trip comes off like two guys taking a trip. Not an odyssey, a trip. A week long trip, different place each night, lots of talk — often laugh-out-loud talk — on the road and at dinner. Yet the film...
View ArticleMoonrise Kingdom
With Moonrise Kingdom’s quirky, crazy story and demeanor, director Wes Anderson delivers an emotionally rich and wry exploration of relationships. Even better, it’s a wonderful specimen showing how...
View ArticleSilver Linings Playbook
Off-beat, witty, and creatively dysfunctional, Silver Linings Playbook explores the craziness that underlies our lives. Whether it’s obsessive attachments or odd superstitions or poor social skills or...
View ArticleDjango Unchained
Slavery was (and is) a horrible thing, and Django Unchained explores 1800s USA slavery with unblinking intensity, insightful juxtapositions, and indulgent relish. It’s this last bit that troubles me —...
View ArticleMoonrise Kingdom
Seeing Moonrise Kingdom, I long for the simple, true, mature love that gets lost amidst the dysfunction in our own lives and in the world around us. But even before we get to that, the film is simply...
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