Tag / florence pugh

by Jaime Rebanal

‘Little Women’ Review: Greta Gerwig’s Adaptation of a Classic Tale Reaffirms Its Impact

✯✯✯✯✯

Greta Gerwig’s follow-up to Lady Bird is not the same sort of coming-of-age film that she brought to the screen years two prior, but another adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic story. Although it may be a story that has been adapted numerous times to the screens, whether they be for television or for the cinema, it carries a timeless quality to it that only makes it feel fresh no matter how many times it may be told. It’s a film that feels almost like you’re being wrapped comfortably within a blanket, but the more it continues flashing back and forth it also shows that there’s always a newer way to bring timeless stories of the sort to modern audiences, and for what’s only Gerwig’s second feature as a writer-director, it feels as if she’s on her way to becoming a talent for a generation.

Continue reading →

by Jaime Rebanal

‘Midsommar’ Review: Ari Aster Takes the Term “Date Movie” A Whole Other Level

✯✯✯✯½

After Hereditary, Ari Aster was already signifying some promise coming along the way for his sophomore feature and with Midsommar, he does so much more than live up to the promise that was headed his way. In many ways it’s also far more experimental than his previous effort, given the larger scale he’s made to work with in this case but he comfortably adjusts to the greater scope of this project and maybe that might also mean he’s also putting himself at risk of becoming too caught up even in his own ambition. There are many ways you can describe where one’s expectations will land before seeing Midsommar, because Ari Aster’s style of horror will only ever remain as divisive as ever – and to say the least, Midsommar will only reaffirm how strongly one feels about his work on either end of the spectrum. Will it even matter what you think of Hereditary coming into this? Perhaps, but I feel like I can already see Ari Aster turning into a giant inside his own league with that and Midsommar on his belt.

Continue reading →

by Jaime Rebanal

The Commuter – Review

✯✯✯

Liam Neeson said fairly recently that he was set to retire from the action genre, so it was only fitting that another action film starring him was set to be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. But when you see a name like Jaume Collet-Serra is behind the camera, you can only expect he can make a simple premise seem entertaining enough even if it isn’t set to last fairly long. Nevertheless he’s also shown himself to be at his best working with Liam Neeson as proven by Unknown and Non-Stop, so it was among many reasons I was still curious enough to see The Commuter. If this is going to be Liam Neeson’s sendoff from the action genre, it’s disappointing – but nonetheless it’s entertaining to see him getting into action as if he were young, then again it was what I expected.

Continue reading →