a. a. birdsallReview: Vasco Pratolini’s ‘Family Chronicle’Translated by Martha King; also occasionally called ‘Two Brothers’4 min read·Nov 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 work4 min read·Nov 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 overexposed7 min read·Jan 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 why4 min read·Dec 28, 2021----
a. a. birdsallRevisiting ‘District 9’: A wasted opportunityIs it time to reëxamine the narrative of Neill Blomkamp’s “one hit wonder”?5 min read·Sep 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 Keoghan6 min read·Sep 21, 2021----
a. a. birdsall[Review] ‘The Peanut Butter Falcon’★★★½ — starring Shia LaBoeuf, Zack Gottsagen and Dakota Johnson, 20193 min read·Aug 27, 2021----
a. a. birdsallHave you played: Deep Rock Galactic?Dig out this hidden gem, and delve greedily and deep with up to three dwarf buddies6 min read·Jun 18, 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?22 min read·Sep 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 incompetent4 min read·Aug 31, 2020----