Writer/director Noah Baumbach tackles Don DeLillo’s mid-80s postmodern masterwork, White Noise, in his most ambitious film to date. Although he struggles under the weight of this purportedly “unfilmable” novel’s heady themes and concepts, Baumbach faithfully captures the book’s essence and commendably brings it to life with a great deal of inspiration and enthusiasm.
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After a decade, writer/director Andrew Dominik’s makes he return to narrative feature with Blonde. The film is another decadently shot bold swing finds the Aussie filmmaker taking on Marilyn Monroe and her legacy. Based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates, the film indulges in fictions and fixates on tragedy, which will likely make it a tough watch for many, but thanks to its transformative lead performance, hypnotic score, and striking visuals, Blonde frequently creates an intoxicating atmosphere that keeps you under its spell.
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Five years after his critically acclaimed special Make Happy, comedian Bo Burnham returns with INSIDE, a surprisingly cinematic comedy special with an incisive bite and emotional depth. After his breakout success as a writer/director with 2018’s darling Eighth Grade, Burnham continues to prove that he really is a jack of all trades, shouldering an entire 90-minute special on his delicate frame while baring his soul and crumbling psyche for laughs — and attention.
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The Mitchells Vs The Machines marks the feature film debut of Mike Rianda and Jeff Rowe (who wrote and directed the film together). Produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the film marks another win for the duo, Sony Pictures Animation, and Netflix, delivering a sweet, heartfelt road film about technology, fitting in, and reconnection.
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Six years after Gone Girl, America’s most meticulous living filmmaker returns to tackle the true story behind Citizen Kane, which is still considered by many to be one of the greatest film ever made. Working from a script authored by Fincher’s late father, Jack (his only screenwriting credit), Mank is a Fincher family passion project that’s aimed squarely at film enthusiasts. Stacked with an excellent cast and bolstered by Fincher’s immaculate technical prowess, Mank is an interesting glimpse behind the creative curtain of one of cinema’s most beloved films, but it can’t quite form the emotional connection to really command a viewer’s full attention.
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Five long years after the last Charlie Kaufman film (and 12 even longer years since his last live-action effort), the celebrated screenwriter-turned-director is finally back with another cerebrally twisted tale of existential dread. Adapted from the Iain Reid novel of the same name, I’m Thinking of Ending Things takes viewers on a strange and squirmy journey full of psychological thrills that entangle time, memory, and experience into one bleak and nightmarish reality.
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Writer/director Noam Baumbach follows up 2017’s The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) with something even better. In fact, Marriage Story may just be the greatest achievement of Baumbach’s nearly 25-year career. The film is brilliantly acted, masterfully directed, and wonderfully written, offering incisive, heartbreaking and heart-mending takes on love, life, and the dissolution of the ties that bind us.
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