Writer/director Jane Schoenbrun‘s I Saw the TV Glow examines themes of obsessive fandom, despondency, isolation, familial dysfunction, and dysphoria all through social outcasts Owen (Ian Foreman and later Justice Smith) and the slightly older Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) who bond over a late-night teen horror show called The Pink Opaque.
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Maria explores the final days of renown opera singer Maria Callas (Angelina Jolie) looking back on her life in a self-medicated haze that blurs fantasy and reality in her quest to rediscover the voice she lost years ago. The standouts here are Jolie’s performance, for which she trained 7 months to learn to sing opera (a mix of both Jolie and Callas’ voices are used throughout the film), and the film’s amazing look courtesy of cinematographer Edward Lachman, set decoration by Sandro Piccarozzi, and costumes by Massimo Cantini Parrini.
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Anora (Mikey Madison), or Ani as she prefers, is a fiery young stripper at a Manhattan club leading a mostly unremarkable life until the night Russian man-child Vanya (Mark Eidelshtein) walks into the club. Hitting it off, Vanya returns night after night eventually paying for private dates with Ani leading to a weeklong girlfriend experience of booze, drugs, sex, and partying ending in to a trip to Vegas, an unexpected proposal, and marriage. It seems Ani has hit the jackpot a rags to riches story. However, when Ani’s family discovers what Vanya has done things get nuts.
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If given the opportunity to talk to your younger self, what advice would you give? I wasn’t expecting much from this comedy about a teenager meeting her future self while high on mushrooms. Variations of this premise have been done before, but rarely, if ever, as well. Under the fantastical premise, there’s something quite real about growing up and making realizations about yourself, your life, and understanding what you are leaving behind.
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Beautifully shot while exploring complicated ideas that may make some audiences uncomfortable, Alex Garland‘s Civil War works on multiple levels. First, the film gives us an up-close look at war correspondent journalism following a foursome through a ravaged war-torn land. Allowing that land to be America in a recognizable not-too-distant future is the second major point of the film which offers a cautionary tale to the current polarized environment which includes many far-right nutbags actively praying and cheering across social media for such events to occur. The message of the movie is clear, be careful what you wish for.
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