Month: December 2020
Wonder Woman 1984: Blast from the past
by Matt Ward
Filmmakers transcend genre by making sure their voice remains at the forefront, regardless of whatever limitations might be artificially imposed. This is especially true in the superhero genre, which can often feel stagnant and cookie-cutter as directors come to heel at the whims of a studio bent on franchise making and spectacle. Wonder Woman 1984, director Patty Jenkins’ follow-up to her critically and commercially … Read More Wonder Woman 1984: Blast from the past
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom: And all that jazz
by Matt Ward
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, the latest awards contending prestige drama from Netflix, will likely forever be known for the final performance of the late actor Chadwick Boseman, whose career was cut short by cancer in August. But what hopefully won’t be left out is that the film based on an acclaimed August Wilson play is also the finest work of Boseman’s career and a … Read More Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom: And all that jazz
Wander Darkly: Crashing waves of emotion
by Matt Ward
How we handle pain, grief and tragedy – visceral, raw emotions – has always been a vibrant playground for filmmakers seeking weighty material to create artistic cinema. Relative newcomer Tara Miele found inspiration from her own car accident to blend reality and fantasy in Wander Darkly, a melancholic film that finds new parents Adrienne and Matteo at a crossroads following a family tragedy that … Read More Wander Darkly: Crashing waves of emotion
Mank: Citizen Mankiewicz
by Matt Ward
Though it’s expressed as a work of fiction, film scholars commonly understand the 1941 cinema classic Citizen Kane to be an unofficial biopic of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and the launching of Orson Welles’ film career. But the film also served as the magnum opus of social critic and Hollywood screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, a man who battled with Welles for writing credit … Read More Mank: Citizen Mankiewicz
Cinematic Considerations 