Review: Endings, Beginnings

by Chris Feil

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, one of the past decade's best examinations of the messy terrain between mental health and romantic entanglements, hilariously gave us a number called "Sexy French Depression". Skewering the French New Wave aesthetic, the song (co-written by recently departed genius Adam Schlesinger) spoofed not only our outsized self-perceptions, but a wan glamorization of female depression in cinema. It’s a trope you’ve seen before and will see again.

That vibe is very much at play in Drake Doremus' new minor key film Endings, Beginnings, where Shailene Woodley suffers from an actually rather sexy but very Los Angeles depression. Woodley stars as art programmer Daphne, in a rut after a recent breakup sends her (back, apparently) to her sister's poolhouse as she tries to find a job between art club sessions with Kyra Sedgwick and performing R.E.M. at karaoke. Woodley is solid, but in Doremus' hands, the most cliche version of Los Angeles plays itself.

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Beauty Break: The work of Allen Daviau (1942-2020)

on the set of Empire of the Sun (1987) with Christian Baleby Nathaniel R

The film industry has lost another major talent to the coronavirus. Five time Oscar nominated cinematographer Allen Daviau has passed away at age 77 from complications from COVID-19. The acclaimed director of photography was born in New Orleans but grew up in Los Angeles so he was close to the movies before making them.

He met Steven Spielberg in the 1960s and worked with him before either of them had ever had a Hollywood gig on the short film Amblin' which Spielberg's production company was later named for.  Though Daviau was never particularly prolific and retired from the cinema in 2004 he left behind beautiful pictures and was honored with a liftetime achievement award from the American Society of Cinematographers in 2007. Let's celebrate that fine eye after the jump with some of his work...

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April Foolish Predix Pt 1: The Toons!

by Nathaniel R

Last year's animation race proved, just as we predicted, that the Academy's animated branch will only put up with a couple of sequels in any given year. For 2020 that wasn't going to be an issue as the scheduling wasn't sequel heavy. But then COVID-19 happened and the release schedules of everything got pushed back -- the latest calendar move is Disney/Pixar's Soul power-walking to Thanksgiving week where it will replace Disney's Raya and the Dragon, now pushed to 2021...

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(sigh)

Last night I received this text from a friend who is a doctor here in Manhattan working in the hospitals (yeah). I thought I'd share it in camaraderie for all of you struggling out there... 

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Into the Linknown

• The Onion "'Frozen 2' Creators Confirm That Elsa Is Gay But Also Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist" teehee. The Onion nails it sometimes, with those headlines, don't they?
• AV Club  Keegan Michael Kay loved art films in high school and college. Sees Titanic for the first time in quarantine, and reenacts it in 61 seconds.
• Awards Circuit Damien Chazelle's first miniseries The Eddy has a trailer. So excited about this cast: Joanna Kulig (Cold War) with Andre Holland (Moonlight). Yes please

After the jump more record-breaking for Parasite, Mark Ruffalo's future, Cate Blanchett in Mrs America, a new Tom Hardy movie and more...

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