I'm a writer and director, podcaster and critic, and communications and marketing professional living and working in Western Washington.
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The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar 2023
FIRST THOUGHTS ON REWATCH:
This is such a masterful and inventive adaptation of literature, incorporating the prose into the performers' dialogue and performances, utilizing the trapping of the proscenium stage with walls and set pieces that roll into place, emphasizing the artifice of the production, the tools and tricks of filmmaking and theatrical staging. And the artifice only heightens the emotional power of the central narrative, a redemption story told through multiple digressions of narrative buried within narrative. It all…
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Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó 2023
FIRST THOUGHTS ON REWATCH:
It's such a charming and enjoyable little doc. While the subject may not cover wide-ranging, major social issues, it is a poignant look at aging and what it takes for elderly folks to be able to live independently. There's a liveliness and vivacious energy to the two grandmothers in this film that is a joy to watch, and the editing and camera work match their wry sense of humor. At the same time, the film never loses sight of their sense of mortality and the losses they've felt. It's a really lovely short.
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The Dress 2020
FIRST THOUGHTS:
There are some lovely moments and bits of poetic beauty to be found in this piece, and the lead actress is really phenomenal. But like so many shorts - especially ones that get shortlisted or nominated for the Oscar - there’s a needless cruelty in the suffering that the filmmaker inflicts on his protagonist. And the film seems to be so set on showing how miserable her life is and how unhappy she is in her own body that I don’t think it’s as progressive and thoughtful as it thinks its being. -
Found 2021
FIRST THOUGHTS:
There are things about this film that are fantastic, things that make it one of your standard feel-good documentaries, and things that make it one of the more ethically dubious docs I’ve seen this year. The first third plays as your standard heart-warming, character-based documentary. There are great, candid interviews with everyone, and it’s really honest about the experiences of these three teenage girls growing up as the adopted children in whites families. The second third is the…