10. Better Call Saul, “Winner”
9. Pose, “Love Is the Message”
8. Homecoming, “Protocol”
Archive | December, 2018
The Top Television Performances of 2018
30 Dec
And we’re back for another round of year end lists! To kick it off, we have the top television performances of 2018:
15. Brian Tyree Henry, “Atlanta”
14. Elizabeth Olsen, “Sorry for Your Loss”
13. Bill Hader, “Barry”
12. Elisabeth Moss and Yvonne Strahovski, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
11. Hayley Atwell, “Howards End”
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Black Mirror: Bandersnatch Review
28 Dec
This is a middling episode of Black Mirror elevated by the Choose Your Own Adventure framework, one that can only really work on a one off basis before its inventiveness wears off. This applies to the episode itself as well; on the first go around, I was thoroughly enjoying the ability to make choices, but when I revisited the choices to gain a better understanding of the full picture, I found myself thoroughly bored and occasionally frustrated. I’m being a bit generous due to the time and skill that must have gone into the crafting of this episode, but repeat viewings further uncover a flimsiness in character and plot that lead to an underwhelming conclusion no matter what.
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Vox Lux Review
25 Dec
This is slick, provocative filmmaking that manages to avoid losing its positive qualities to pretension. The first half is a legitimately intriguing depiction of celebrity, violence, and trauma and the way all can become intertwined, and the second half simply just turns on the Natalie Portman jets and lets her go. Cassidy holds her own as well, anchoring that first half with just the right amount of vulnerability and complexity.
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Shoplifters Review
23 Dec
The central point about the definitional confines of family is hardly a new one, but the film succeeds because it is so clearly passionate about what matters most: the characters. The societal structures surrounding and confining the characters are certainly present, as they must be, but they are people first before they reflect anything about their society. There’s a delicate balance here throughout that imbues every single scene with both a sense of boundless humanity and helpless unease. You get to know these characters on an intimate level, but there are layers that you know are waiting to be unpeeled, whether for good or for bad. And when it all finally hits, it hits less like a crashing wave and more like a slow, crushing embrace.
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If Beale Street Could Talk Review
11 Dec
There’s no doubt that this is a beautifully crafted film. Britell’s score is the best of the year, Jenkins and Laxton bring a loving tenderness to each shot composition, and the performances bleed compassion and ache with love. But it’s also all a bit too controlled, a bit too removed, a bit too artistically perfect. Jenkins wants to highlight the simplicity of the central romance, but he doesn’t let the rest of the film breathe in the same way. By alternating between grandiose monologues from underused supporting characters and wordless closeups of our main characters, he begins to lose the pure magic of the latter. As the film progresses, it becomes less of a palpable feeling of romance and more a repetitive attempt to capture that feeling. Britell’s score, unfortunately, becomes a crutch in a way. The ending is unsatisfying, but not in a good manner. It feels like the filmmaking and the story are incomplete.
Polar Bears Watch TV 