Tag Archives: Oscars

Review in Brief: Minari (2020)

Posted on April 15, 2021 by Sam Sewell-Peterson

There’s no debate, MINARI is an American story – what could be more American than a film about a family buying a farm and dreaming of living off the land? It’s astounding that the film features two of the first … Continue reading →

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Review in Brief: Sound of Metal (2019/20)

Posted on April 14, 2021 by Sam Sewell-Peterson

SOUND OF METAL will leave you spent, physically, emotionally, and if you can hear, aurally. On the cusp of success, metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) loses most of his hearing and must reconcile his new life with the help of … Continue reading →

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Review in Brief: If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Sam Sewell-Peterson

BEALE STREET was this year’s biggest Best Picture snub. Not even a nomination. It’s not just a socio-historically coded title, the film represents a state of mind and a state of being – be proud of who you are and … Continue reading →

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Review in Brief: Green Book (2018)

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Sam Sewell-Peterson

I can’t say GREEN BOOK is a bad film, it’s too competent. But it’s a very ordinary Best Picture winner. To its credit, the realities of being a touring black musician of any calibre during this period are not ignored. … Continue reading →

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Review in Brief: A Star is Born (2018)

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Sam Sewell-Peterson

For his control over A STAR IS BORN’s live performance scenes alone, Bradley Cooper should have been nominated for Best Director at the Oscars. I guess he’ll have to be content with his directorial debut just getting nominations for Best … Continue reading →

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Review: Roma (2018)

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Sam Sewell-Peterson

You’re probably going to decide whether ROMA is for you or not by its opening shot, a very long shot of soapy water washing up and down some flagstones. It certainly sets the mood and the pace of the piece, … Continue reading →

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Review: Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Sam Sewell-Peterson

I’ve gone back to taking notes for this one with pen and paper – it seemed more…writerly. I have never used a typewriter. Marielle Heller’s CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? deftly tells a story that’s so bizarre it could only … Continue reading →

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Review: BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Posted on September 14, 2018 by Sam Sewell-Peterson

I’m still reeling from the final moments of BLACKKKLANSMAN – no other film of 2018 will pack quite as forceful a denouement. Nowhere else is Spike Lee’s mastery of blending of subjective emotion-driven storytelling with documentary filmmaking techniques more apparent, … Continue reading →

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Review: Lady Bird (2017)

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Sam Sewell-Peterson

While we’re up to our eyeballs in father-son stories on film, even pretty frequently seeing father-daughter and mother-son stories (both examples involving sons tend to be dysfunctional, because aren’t we just the worst?), there are relatively few really good mother-daughter … Continue reading →

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Review: Call Me by Your Name (2017)

Posted on March 4, 2018 by Sam Sewell-Peterson

I was just starting to think the 90th Academy Award nominations weren’t all that impressive. Then I watched CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, and thank goodness I did. This is one of the most powerful, thoughtful and heartfelt dramas of … Continue reading →

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