[7]

I have to give Gerwig credit. I would not necessarily have thought that another rendition of Louisa May Alcott's populist classic was worth bothering with as a creative endeavor. I came to the film with a great deal of skepticism. Why tackle a project like this, apart from the obvious industry cred that comes with mounting a period drama with a baked-in nostalgia factor? And while I am still not entirely convinced that, from a cultural standpoint, Little Women…

[6]

Terrence Malick has always been a more spiritual filmmaker than a political one, but changing times bring out unexpected facets in those we think we know well. A Hidden Life is essentially about the power of Christian faith and the refusal of a true believer to capitulate to a dominant evil simply for expediency's sake. It's hardly a stretch to call this Malick's "Trump film," but I'm sure some of the filmmaker's admirers would consider that a reductive way…

[6]

I miss the old Kiyoshi. The can't-be-sold Kiyoshi. Back in the fold Kiyoshi. That was the bold Kiyoshi. Remember Cure Kiyoshi? That wasn't your Kiyoshi? 'Cause that was my Kiyoshi. Damn, that was fly, Kiyoshi! You came with Kairo, Kiyoshi. That shit was fire, Kiyoshi! Even Bright Future Kiyoshi, that ill repute Kiyoshi. I dug it all, Kiyoshi. So why'd you stall, Kiyoshi? And then that Journey to the Shore? You got some gall, Kiyoshi!

I miss the real…

[4]

If you happen to follow my Twitter feed, you'll know that I've already gotten a bit hot and bothered about this film. In retrospect, it was probably a good deal of energy wasted, or at least misdirected. I tend to forget that useless dreck like The Imitation Game is pimped on every streetcorner around Oscar season by an industry that considers movies as product, not art. Most of the time, that product is slathered in Adam Sandler, and it…