Year: 2022 Runtime: 114 minutes Director: Mimi Cave Writer: Lauryn Kahn Stars: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, Jonica T. Gibbs, Andrea Bang, Charlotte Le Bon By Morgan Roberts Many people are going to compare this film with the 2000 film “American Psycho.” It is understandable. Both films take on and subvert toxic masculinity. However, there is a deliciously wicked side to “Fresh”(2022) that gives this type … Continue reading Sundance 2022 Review: “Fresh”
Watching “The 355” is an exercise in wondering what might have been. The film assembles an impressive team of women, then gives their characters inconsistent intelligence and instincts. More in this review from In Their Own League. Continue reading Review: “The 355”
“Destroyer” (2018) isn’t your typical action movie. For one thing, it stars Nicole Kidman who isn’t the first person I think of when I think “action movie.” It’s also directed by a woman who is not Kathryn Bigelow, which is something of an anomaly. Director Karyn Kusama, who you might know as the director of the cult classic Jennifer’s Body, plays with the typical cop drama here. She flips the gendered stereotype on its head and crafts an intense story with Detective Erin Bell (Nicole Kidman) at the center. Continue reading #Womeninaction- Retrospective review: Destroyer
When you watch the trailer for “I, Tonya” (2017), you get the tonal sense of the film. It is a dark comedy about infamous skating figure Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie). I can yammer on all day about I am still not over Robbie losing the Oscar; her performance is magnetic. She was captivating from start to finish. It was a career-defining performance, one that demonstrated her innate talent…but I am seriously digressing. Robbie is incredible in the film, which is why I think the abuse and trauma we see in the film makes it all the more difficult to watch.
I have my Master’s degree in Professional Counseling. One of the courses I took was on trauma-informed therapy. Trauma is everyone. Trauma is, in essence, completely defined by a person. Continue reading “I, Tonya” and the Preponderance of Trauma
Earlier this year gritty thriller “Destroyer” (2019) stormed onto the big screen, with all of its rage, vengeance and gusto. Surprisingly it failed to blow up, instead crashing and burning at the box office making only $5.5 million in comparison to its $9 million budget. We can only really guess at what exactly caused the film to flop, but poor distribution and weak marketing certainly played their roles.
Despite gunning for those golden gongs, especially with Nicole Kidman’s central phenomenal transformative performance, it received barely any attention on the awards circuit, although it has to be said organisations like The Academy have never been known for their good taste in cinema. Continue reading ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No.31: Destroyer
Karyn Kusama was always most known from her direction of “Jennifer’s Body”. She later mostly directed television episodes such as “Casual”, “Chicago Fire”, etc. At the end of 2018, however, her newest picture had its premiere – the film titled “Destroyer” with Nicole Kidman in a leading role. Continue reading Karyn Kusama’s “Destroyer” and The Portrayal of Moral Decay
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