Author: jose

It remains clear-eyed, even as it makes the happily-ever-after seem possible after all. 

It’s a shame “Echo Valley” never quite finds its footing until the end because it has so many promising qualities.

The movie’s not a barn-burner or future classic, but new Westerns are thin on the ground these days, and this ultimately is a better-than-decent one. 

It doesn’t craft a narrative. Ardern crafts her own narrative.

“Best Wishes to All” is the type of unsettling, high-concept horror film that knows exactly what it wants to be and executes it with unforgiving verve.

The people in Haugerud’s humanist drama are ultimately more like cyphers than flesh-and-blood people.

The obviousness of it all inspires no tension, only impatience.

It’s a film that reminds you how much silly plotting you’ll accept as long as you’re laughing.

The people who stand to benefit the most from watching it are likely to avoid it after hearing what it’s trying to do.

It’s a great, though admittedly demanding, movie that draws us into a character’s mindset simply by showing us what their life is like.