a. a. birdsallReview: Vasco Pratolini’s ‘Family Chronicle’Translated by Martha King; also occasionally called ‘Two Brothers’Nov 3, 2023Nov 3, 2023
a. a. birdsallReview: Flannery O’Connor’s ‘Wise Blood’O’Connor’s novel tells of zealotry and materialism in the evangelical South, but it lacks the ironic narrative power of her later workNov 2, 2023Nov 2, 2023
a. a. birdsallLicorice Pizza (2021) is a highlight reel of PTA films—but I don’t mean that as a complimentNeither as intricate as Magnolia, as macabre as Phantom Thread, nor as charming as Boogie Nights, this “best of” reel is overexposedJan 4, 2022Jan 4, 2022
a. a. birdsallThe self-satire of The Secret of My Success (1987)I’ve seen this film four times now— and, no, I don’t really know whyDec 28, 2021Dec 28, 2021
a. a. birdsallRevisiting ‘District 9’: A wasted opportunityIs it time to reëxamine the narrative of Neill Blomkamp’s “one hit wonder”?Sep 21, 2021Sep 21, 2021
a. a. birdsall‘Calm with Horses’ review—a display of the impotence of violence★★★★☆—Also called ‘The Shadow of Violence,’ Irish crime drama stars Cosmo Jarvis, Niamh Algar and Barry KeoghanSep 21, 2021Sep 21, 2021
a. a. birdsall[Review] ‘The Peanut Butter Falcon’★★★½ — starring Shia LaBoeuf, Zack Gottsagen and Dakota Johnson, 2019Aug 27, 2021Aug 27, 2021
a. a. birdsallAs Tim Davie takes over, pro-government bias remains dominant in the BBCAxing “leftist comedies” is all very well, but what about the real problems?Sep 3, 2020Sep 3, 2020
a. a. birdsallTenet: Two-films-in-one makes for a film that resists reviewingHaving become one of the world’s most accomplished filmmakers, Nolan has allowed himself to turn into one of the most incompetentAug 31, 2020Aug 31, 2020
a. a. birdsallThe morbid monotony of ‘A Hidden Life’ (2019)★★★★½ — Terrence Malick’s ode to integrity stars August Diehl and Valerie PachnerJan 26, 2020Jan 26, 2020