Poster for Real Genius Jesse Pasternack looks back at the comedic work Val Kilmer brought to the screen in the ’80s and how it precipitated his later movie stardom. Val Kilmer was one of the most beloved American actors of the second half of the 20th century. Over the course of his decades-long career, he… Read more »
With remarkable intimacy, Seeds documents the everyday lives of Black generational farmers — cotton harvesting, chasing cows, dealing with broken machinery and financial precarities. Filmmaker Brittany Shyne’s camera relishes simple moments, turning them into striking vignettes that honor the families’ connection to the land and each other. But the sobering reality underscores the urgency of their story:… Read more »
Poster for Y Tu Mamá También Jesse Pasternack explains why the use of voiceover narration excels in Alfonso Cuarón’s coming-of-age classic. Y Tu Mamá También (2001) has one of the best uses of voiceover narration in the history of cinema. Writers Alfonso Cuarón (who also directed it) and his brother Carlos use it not just… Read more »
Facing an endless battle with cancer, Noelia (Isel Rodríguez) is ready to accept her fate. Much to the dismay of her doting boyfriend (Maximiliano Rivas), she stops treatment and flees to her native Vieques, a Puerto Rican island off the coast of the mainland. Vieques itself is in recovery, having been contaminated thanks to its… Read more »
Shrek 2 (2004) Jesse Pasternack makes his case for why the second Shrek film is a terrific continuation of the original. Shrek 2 (2004) is one of the best sequels ever made. The directors and writers brilliantly build out their characters’ world, add some iconic new characters, and challenge the original ones in ways that… Read more »
Poster for GoodFellas Jesse Pasternack praises the writing of GoodFellas scribe Nicholas Pileggi and its contributions to the iconography of the Martin Scorsese classic. Most people remember GoodFellas (1990) for its images and music. They think of the Copacabana scene, in which the camera elegantly glides as the Crystals song “Then He Kissed Me” plays, or the… Read more »