Reviews, Discussions, and Interviews – All from Nashville
Brendan Fraser Gives Career-Best Performance in ‘The Whale’ (Review)
Brendan Fraser delivers the performance of his career in director Darren Aronofsky's latest film. I want to begin this review by saying that The Whale is not for everyone. From the start, it's uncomfortable and in your face as we witness a man who is morbidly obese...
‘Babylon’ is an Exceptional Condemnation of Hollywood’s Origins (Review)
The silent era of Hollywood has never looked more like a glorious mess than it does in Damien Chazelle's star-studded period epic. Damien Chazelle has been one of Hollywood’s favorite young filmmaking auteurs since winning the Best Director Oscar in 2017, and...
‘Medusa’ is Ingenious, Genre-Blending Bliss from Brazil (Review)
The leader of a girl gang learns the horrifying truth about her environment in this genre-blending coming-of-age allegory from Brazil. Brazil is a country whose contributions to cinema have had sporadic gains in reaching American audiences over the decades,...
James Cameron Wows Again with Spectacular ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ (Review)
The acclaimed director delivers again in this 13-year follow-up that rules with a raised fist. If there’s anyone in Hollywood who should be given the benefit of the doubt, it’s director James Cameron, who has made two of the three biggest films of all-time (Avatar...
Will Smith’s ‘Emancipation’ is a Solid Survival Thriller (Review)
The film is now streaming on Apple TV+. As Apple continues to show how it’s done with original films among the streamers, now comes their biggest film yet: Emancipation. You know the buzz around the film, so there’s no need to rehash that. But what matters is the...
Olivia Colman is the Lone Brilliance in Aimless ‘Empire of Light’ (Review)
Academy Award winner Olivia Colman manages the historic Empire Theatre during the rise of Margaret Thatcher in the newest film from Sam Mendes. Ever since making his directorial feature debut with American Beauty in 1999, Sam Mendes has established himself as a...
The Letterboxd Files with Cory: Vol. 12
Alright, kids, it's time for another Letterboxd Report with your favorite Nashville-based film critic named Cory, me. Let's cut the chit-chat and start that reviewing. On the count of three... The Whale Even when his films make people throw chairs out the...
‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ is Just as Good as ‘Knives Out’ (Review)
Director Rian Johnson delivers another appetizing whodunnit in this follow-up to the 2019 smash-hit. Think about it: What was the last movie to captivate audiences before the pandemic hit in early 2020? The answer you’re looking for is likely Knives Out, which was...
‘Disney Channel’s Theme: A History Mystery’ a masterful dive into something unexpected
Comparison is the thief of joy. There's nothing truer in the space of the professional artist, in the neverending hierarchy that separates an Oscar winner from an eighth-grade camera whiz making a home movie with his friends. Artists are blessed with an ability...