Clik here to view.
In “Moana,” Disney Offers a Powerful and Delightful Fantasy of Female Derring-Do
[This review will also be published on Film Festival Today, and when it is, I will link to that review here.] Moana (Ron Clements/Don Hall/John Musker/Chris Williams, 2016) Moana, the 56th animated...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Nocturnal Animals” Suffocates Us in Its Constrictive Embrace
Nocturnal Animals (Tom Ford, 2016) Until just recently, it would have been hard to imagine seeing a film that would make Nicholas Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon seem like a subtle and moderate take on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mostly Entertaining “The Duelist” Is a Revenge Tale with a Russian Twist
The Duelist (“Дуэлянт”) (Aleksey Mizgirev, 2016) A very silly, if often dramatically effective, confection of a 19th-century period thriller, the new Russian movie The Duelist gives us the violent...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Manchester by the Sea” Is a Moving (and Messy) Meditation on Redemption
Manchester by the Sea (Kenneth Lonergan, 2016) Manchester by the Sea is only the third feature film from writer/director Kenneth Lonergan, whose first, You Can Count on Me, released a full 16 years...
View ArticleClik here to view.
2 Pieces @hammertonail: Review of “Woman on Fire” + Interview with Director...
In the past weeks, Hammer to Nail posted a couple of pieces of mine: a review of Woman on Fire, a documentary about the first openly trans firefighter in New York City; and my interview with director...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rodricks, Reed and DeLibero on the 70th Anniversary of “The Best Years of Our...
Today, Linda DeLibero – Director, Film and Media Studies, Johns Hopkins University – and Christopher Llewellyn Reed (that’s me) – Chair and Professor, Department of Film & Moving Image, Stevenson...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ho, Ho, Ho: “Office Christmas Party” Delivers Just Enough Laughs to Mostly...
[This review will also appear at Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to that review.] Office Christmas Party (Josh Gordon/Will Speck, 2016) There is something both comfortably and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In Weary “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Take on...
[This review will also appear at Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to that review.] Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Gareth Edwards, 2016) Gradually, over the course of the 39 years since...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“La La Land” Is a Magical, Musical Paean to the Hollywood Dream Factory
[This review will also appear at Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to that review.] La La Land (Damien Chazelle, 2016) From its exuberant opening musical number, set atop a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Collateral Beauty” Offers Mostly Collateral Damage
[This review will also appear at Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to that review.] Collateral Beauty (David Frankel, 2016) Let us be clear about one thing: Collateral Beauty is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“A Kind of Murder” Is a Worthy Tribute to Highsmith
[This review will also appear at Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to that review.] A Kind of Murder (Andy Goddard, 2016) The late, great American writer Patricia Highsmith...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rodricks, Reed and DeLibero on the Films of December 2016
Today, Linda DeLibero – Director, Film and Media Studies, Johns Hopkins University – and Christopher Llewellyn Reed (that’s me) – Chair and Professor, Department of Film & Moving Image, Stevenson...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Dilemma of “Jackie”: Beautiful to Behold, Unbearable to Watch
[This review will also appear at Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to that review.] Jackie (Pablo Larraín, 2016) We first meet her in close-up, shot in muted grays and blues, with a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In Moving “Lion,” Dev Patel Roars
[This review will also appear at Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to that review.] Lion (Garth Davis, 2016) Based on the memoir A Long Way Home, by Saroo Brierley, Lion tells the tale...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In Disturbing “Elle,” Isabelle Huppert, As Always, Mesmerizes
Elle (Paul Verhoeven, 2016) Now 78, Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven has long since graduated beyond enfant terrible, if that moniker were ever actually suitable for a director more exploitative than...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Fences” Showcases Great Performances
Fences (Denzel Washington, 2016) The great American playwright August Wilson (1945-2005) may no longer be physically of this world, but his work, which discusses issues of race and family, among other...
View ArticleClik here to view.
5 Pieces @hammertonail: Reviews of “Baden Baden,”“Risky Drinking,”“8-Bit...
Since my last post about Hammer to Nail, the site has posted 5 more reviews of mine: Baden Baden, a French coming-of-age film about a lost twentysomething woman; Risky Drinking, a documentary about the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mr. Reed’s Metaphysical Neighborhood Presents the Best and Worst Films of 2016
[For an explanation of my blog post title, check out my “best of” list from 2013.] Below you will find lists of my favorite films of the year, divided by narrative (fiction) and documentary...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Paterson” Celebrates the Magic of Our Ordinary World
[This review will also appear at Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to that review.] Paterson (Jim Jarmusch, 2016) Ever since his first theatrical feature, Stranger Than Paradise, in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Enjoyable, if Simplistic, “Hidden Figures” Sheds Needed Light on Hidden...
[This review will also appear at Film Festival Today, and when it does, I will link to that review.] Hidden Figures (Theodore Melfi, 2016) Hidden Figures is the second feature from writer/director...
View Article