da’vine joy randolph
Film Review: Eternity is a new classic of the romantic comedy genre
There’s something rather amusing about what constitutes an “A24” movie. There’s an expectation placed upon the studio as of late regarding the type of film it releases into theatres, and within its own genre, the A24 comedy has rarely been as wholesome as what Eternity projects. Between the the darker fare of Sorry, Baby and…
Eternity is a shining example of the romantic comedy: Toronto International Film Festival Review
There’s something rather amusing about what constitutes an “A24” movie. There’s an expectation placed upon the studio as of late regarding the type of film it releases into theatres, and within its own genre, the A24 comedy has rarely been as wholesome as what Eternity projects. Between the the darker fare of Sorry, Baby and…
Film Review: Bride Hard; Rebel Wilson’s action-comedy fails on both genre accounts
With such a talented cast and a premise ripe with potential, it truly is a shame that Bride Hard succumbs to Shaina Steinberg‘s lazy, exposition-overloaded script, Andrew MacRitchie‘s inexplicable editing, and Simon West‘s continually pedestrian directing (how he has fallen since Con Air in 1997 should be studied), resulting in an action-comedy that fails on…
Film Review: Shadow Force; Kerry Washington and Omar Sy charm their way through enjoyable, if predictable, actioner
Having helmed such actioners as Smokin’ Aces, The A-Team, The Grey, and Boss Level, as well as writing credits on the Death Wish remake and Bad Boys For Life, director Joe Carnahan is no stranger to the genre and the excessive cheese it can give way to. For his latest effort, Shadow Force, he’s working…
Film Review: The Holdovers is a lived-in comedy that crackles in its quieter moments of reflection
After the misstep that was 2017’s ambitious Downsizing, writer/director Alexander Payne returns to more familiar territory in The Holdovers. Familiar in the sense that the high-school setting brings to mind his biting 1999 black comedy Election, his lead, Paul Giamatti, is a pitch-perfect educator, like his 2004 standout Sideways, and the dialogue peppered throughout is…
Interview: Da’Vine Joy Randolph on navigating grief and class in The Holdovers; “There’s a privilege in showing emotion. And my character doesn’t have that privilege.”
The Holdovers reunites Sideways’ director Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti in a holiday story of three lonely, shipwrecked people at a New England boarding school over winter break in 1970. Giamatti stars as Paul Hunham, a curmudgeonly instructor who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with…
Film Review: The Lost City is a playful romp elevated by the charm of Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum
Reminiscent of the studio mentality of days (years, even) gone by of when the star-driven comedy was enough of a draw to reel audiences in, Adam and Aaron Nee‘s throwback romp The Lost City serves as a healthy reminder that not all playful, high-concept comedies have to exist solely for the streaming services. Resuscitating the…