Josh Reviews Lion
The film Lion begins in 1986. In a poor area of Khandwa, India, a young boy Saroo lives with his mother, younger sister, and older brother Guddu. One evening when their mother goes to work, young Saroo prevails upon Guddu to allow him to accompany him to a train station where Gudd
Josh Reviews Moonlight
In Barry Jenkins’ riveting, heartbreaking film Moonlight, we follow the journey from childhood to manhood of a gay, African-American boy Chiron. The film presents Chrion’s story in three parts. At first, we meet Chiron as a quiet, lonely boy who is bullied by his peers
Catching Up on 2016: Josh Reviews Hell or High Water
In David Mackenzie’s film Hell or High Water, Chris Pine and Ben Foster star as brothers robbing small banks across Texas, while Jeff Bridges plays the Texas Ranger determined to catch them. The film explores the poverty rampant across Texas (and so much of the U.S. these days
Josh Reviews Live by Night
I first became a fan of Ben Affleck from his work in Kevin Smith’s early nineties films, and in particular his so-funny, good-natured participation in the DVD commentary tracks for Mallrats and Chasing Amy (which are, seriously, among the greatest commentary tracks ever recorded
Josh Reviews Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures, based on the recent book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly, tells the true story of three pioneering African-American women: Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. These three remarkable women worked for NASA in the 1960’s and beyond. Ka
Josh Reviews Jackie
Natalie Portman stars as Jackie Kennedy in Pablo Larraín’s intimate and moving film Jackie, which chronicles the days immediately following the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November, 1963. The film uses as a framing device an interview of Jackie by Theodore White for L
Josh Reviews Manchester By The Sea
Casey and Ben Affleck both earned my approbation forever with 2007’s Gone Baby Gone, a magnificent and heartbreaking piece of work. That film was Ben Affleck’s directorial debut and Casey played the lead role. If you haven’t seen it, go see it right now. I̵
Josh Reviews Passengers
Jim (Chris Pratt) and Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence) are members of a colony expedition to a planet, Homestead II, far from Earth. But something goes wrong and they two alone amongst the 5,000 cryogenically frozen passengers aboard the space ship Avalon are woken from their sleep 90 yea
Josh Reviews La La Land
In La La Land, Damien Chazelle’s follow-up to his marvelous and intense film Whiplash, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling star as two young artists struggling to make it in Los Angeles. Ms. Stone plays Mia, a struggling actress working as a barista, while Mr Gosling plays Sebastian, a
Days of De Palma (Part 19): Passion (2012)
I am excited to have finally arrived at the end of my journey through the filmography of master director Brian De Palma. (Well, the end for now – Mr. De Palma is alive and well, and hopefully has additional films in his future!) 2007’s Redacted was a rough watch —