The Yellow Birds begins with a tranquil image of flowing water, followed by a graceful camera pan over American troops marching cautiously over a war-ravaged Iraqi landscape. It’s an unusually peaceful snapshot of the Iraq war described from an almost…
Sundance 2018 Review: Hearts Beat Loud
Everyone knows Nick Offerman as the ultra-manly, wood-chopping Ron Swanson from Parks & Recreation. But now that the mustache is off, Offerman has taken on more grounded roles that let him expand his range rather than stilt him in caricature.…
Sundance 2018 Review: I Think We’re Alone Now
I Think We’re Alone Now is a beautiful film. It hits all the apocalypse tropes, but it’s more concerned about the people who are left than why everyone else is gone. Director Reed Morano and writer Matt Makowsky’s character study of…
Sundance 2018 Review: Wildlife
Paul Dano’s directorial debut is a quiet, contemplative view of the everyday struggles of Americans in the 60s. In the midst of economic struggle, 14-year-old Joe (Ed Oxenbould) watches the disintegration of his parent’s marriage while navigating his new life…
Sundance 2018 Review: American Animals
American Animals is based on one of the most ridiculous heists in recent memory. In 2004, four mostly well-off college students planned to steal valuable books from Transylvania University’s library in Lexington, Kentucky. These four boys thought they were clever,…
Sundance 2018 Review: Hereditary
Full disclosure — when it comes to horror, you’ll typically find me hiding behind my hands, but nothing has shaken me more than Ari Aster’s Hereditary. At just over two hours, it’s an unrelenting, dread-inducing portrait of a family descending…
Sundance 2018 Review: Lizzie
Everyone knows one thing about Lizzie Borden: she brutally murdered her parents with an ax. And while it may not have been 40 whacks, but it was enough to make her parents look unrecognizable. While most believe Borden murdered her…