Sundance: Another Inappropriate Relationship in ‘Palm Trees and Power Lines’

By Abe Friedtanzer

In film and television it’s very common to find a romance happening that probably shouldn’t be, with too wide an age gap that’s either just unappealing or actually illegal. That’s a central problem some have with Licorice Pizza. The Alliance of Women Film Journalists actually has a category in their awards titled “Most Egregious Age Difference Between Leading Man and Love Interest.” Palm Trees and Power Lines is the latest reminder that if something feels off, there’s probably good reason to raise alarm…

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Sundance: Falling asleep (and in love) with 'Blood'

by Cláudio Alves

Bradley Rust Gray's Blood nearly put me to sleep. I mean it in a positive way, despite the negative readings such statements usually entail. At times, it felt like watching a 111-minute ASMR video crossed with a stubbornly understated character study. Even the casting appears designed to induce visceral relaxation, from Carla Juri's whispery intonations to Issey Ogata's unmistakable voice. Gray has devised a film of hypnotic qualities, extrapolating its protagonist's search for inner serenity to the audience's experience of movie-watching. At times, like when a gentle song unfurls with lyrics about dozing off, it almost seems as if Blood is winking at the semi-conscious spectator, sharing a joke, giving permission to dream… 

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DGA Nominees: Anderson, Branagh, Campion, Spielberg, Villeneuve

by Nathaniel R

And now the 'super thursday' of Guild Awards comes to an end with the Directors Guild of America nominations. The Directors Guild has historically been the best 'predictor' as to the Best Picture lineup though that distinction ceased being really important in 2009 when Oscar expanded its Best Picture lineup. Since then we've only seen one DGA Feature Film nominee that didnt show up in Oscar's Best Picture list (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) though we've several several DGA nominees who didn't show up in the parallel Oscar list for Best Director. Make sense? Okay, let's discuss their nominees...

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Sundance: Rebecca Hall goes bugsh*t in the unhinged 'Resurrection'

by Jason Adams

Wanna know how you're in the hands of a smart filmmaker? Well there are two signs, and funny enough they both involve Rebecca Hall. The first sign is thatthey hire Rebecca Hall. That's as smart as it gets! They do that much you know you're in good hands. The second sign is they give Rebecca Hall a five minute centerpiece monologue to deliver and they hold the camera on Rebecca Hall's face the entire time without cutting. That right there is what the movies were invented for, and that's how you know that Andrew Seman's film Resurrection, fresh outta Sundance, is worth its weight in Tim Roth's discarded teeth. What? Isn't that how you measure weight? I sure do now, anyway...

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WGA Nominations -- But don't expect these lists when Oscar nominations are announced!

by Nathaniel R

The French Dispatch, a movie about writers is honored for its writing

The Writer Guild have announced their nominations for the 2021 film year. Unlike the DGA and the PGA, the WGA aren't abundantly prophetic when it comes to Oscar nominations since their rules are so different. But the nominees and some notes are after the jump...

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