Caden Cotard is an unhappy NYC playwright, whose wife leaves him right before he wins the Macarthur Fellowship; the famed ‘genius grant’ that provides creative types with financial security to pursue ambitious projects. Channeling his angst over his divorce, and all of his many additional problems, Cotard devises the largest theatrical experience in history; recreating his world in miniature, casting actors to play everyone he has ever met, reliving every experience of his life. Continue reading Synecdoche, New York (2008)

34 year old Bridget struggles with nearly everything. She has a dead end job in the service industry, a half hearted sexual partnership with another amiable slacker, and dislocated relationships with her parents and friends. Everyone seems to be getting on with their lives, while she is stuck in a rut. Almost by accident she lands a job as a nanny to a privelaged six year old, which will give her a very small nudge forward. Continue reading Saint Frances (2019)

Something sinister is happening in small town West Virginia. Animals are dying; their bodies covered in tumors, their internal organs swollen, their teeth black. Then people start getting sick too; cancer and other undiagnosable illnesses. Du Pont, the chemical giant that is the region’s largest employer, shrugs its shoulders. These strange occurrences definitely have nothing to do with the toxic waste dump they maintain. Continue reading Dark Waters (2019)

Four friends and Vietnam war veterans return to the country decades after the conflict ended. They find a modern state very different to the one they served in, where American cultural influence is both controversial and popular. But they are not there to sight see; they have come to find the remains of a dead comrade…. and maybe a treasure box full of gold. Continue reading Da 5 Bloods (2020)

Nina Sayers is a fragile ballerina facing a personal crisis. Desperate for the lead role in an upcoming production of Swan Lake, she find herself trapped between three alpha personalities; her overbearing mother, the show’s demanding director, and a cocky frenemy who wants the role for herself. In the best tradition of movies about art, her solution is to destroy herself to achieve her goals. Continue reading Black Swan (2010)

Zeke and Earl, a couple of slacker good ole boys in small town Arkansas, grapple with the aftermath of a very big night; hungover, sleep deprived, and covered in blood. Something terrible has happened to their friend Dick, AKA: Richard Long, and they now have to haphazardly scramble to cover it up. Continue reading The Death of Dick Long (2019)

In the early 1980s, a couple of boyish free spirits team up with a wildlife photographer and trek around South America together. They see the sights, pick up girls, and generally travel light/low rent. Then they meet Ken, a rugged outdoorsy type who sells them on a vision of leaving the well worn tourist path behind, and setting out into the jungle proper. Continue reading Jungle (2017)

Steve Jobs: Apple co-founder, petulant jerk, reality distortion field generator. This energetic movie – one of three features on Jobs to come out after his death – gives a perspective on his life and work through a unique prism; via three product launches, spanning 15 odd years. Continue reading Steve Jobs (2015)

After the cold blooded murder of her father, precocious 14 year old Mattie Ross hires a US Marshall to go after the man responsible. And insists on joining the pursuit; a perilous journey into the lawless wasteland of Indian territory. Continue reading True Grit (2010)