Tag Archives: Joaquin Phoenix

Eddington review — Flawed but fascinating Covid western

July 20, 2025 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Ari Aster | 148 min | ▲▲▲▲ The hum around this picture out of Cannes was polarized — some admired its ambition, some hated it outright. Filmmaker Ari Aster has been challenging the affection of audiences since the success of his one-two horror punch of Hereditary and Midsommar. Then came Beau… Read More

Gladiator II review — We are entertained, but this movie doesn’t echo in eternity

November 22, 2024 flawintheiris

Directed by Ridley Scott | Written by David Scarpa and Peter Craig | 148 min | ▲▲▲△△ I was never a part of Gladiator's rabid cult. I recognized it as an unexpectedly popular throwback entertainment, swords and sandals at a time when neither were cool, but to anoint it with five Oscars in 2000, including… Read More

Joker: Folie à Deux review — The sequel as a corrective

October 7, 2024 flawintheiris

Directed by Todd Phillips | Written by Phillips and Scott Silver | 138 min | ▲▲▲△△ I'll admit, I girded myself to go see this sequel to Joker. I was no fan of the 2019 blockbuster from filmmaker Todd Phillips — it's a nihilistic, sour pill of a movie that serves up its lead as… Read More

Napoleon review — It’s a long wait for Waterloo

November 26, 2023 flawintheiris

Directed by Ridley Scott | Written by David Scarpa | 158 min | ▲▲△△△ Sir Ridley Scott, now in his 80s, continues to show he's one of Hollywood's great visual stylists. What he isn't is a writer, so while the director of Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, and Gladiator has made a number of… Read More

Beau Is Afraid review — An epic, shame-filled odyssey

May 7, 2023 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Ari Aster | 179 min | ▲▲▲△△ | Crave This is the most polarizing film of the season — it arrived with a deluge of negative reaction on social media from the Asterphiles hoping for another Hereditary or Midsommar, followed by more muted, but largely positive, critical response. I come down… Read More

C’mon C’mon review — Beautiful to see, but awkward and disappointing avuncular drama

December 3, 2021 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Mike Mills | 109 min | Amazon Prime Jesse ((Woody Norman) is a bit of a weird kid — preternaturally composed, bright but quirky, with flashes of great intelligence and understanding and also unpredictable and demanding. In other words, an entirely cinematic creation that we've seen in many films, and C'mon… Read More

Reviews from the Vault Vol. 10 — A few more very good movies

October 7, 2019 flawintheiris

From 2005 to 2009 I was a programmer on CKDU 88.1 FM in Halifax, every Sunday morning hosting The Love & Hate Movie Show. I talked about what I was seeing and revisited some of my favourite films of old, pretty much what I do now here on FITI. I still have a lot of… Read More

Joker review — Super-villain movie not a lot of laughs

October 3, 2019 flawintheiris

Directed by Todd Phillips | Written by Phillips and Scott Silver | 121 min | Netflix It's unusual for a blockbuster to arrive on screens with such conflicting buzz. Joker debuted in Venice, winning serious approbation and the prize for best film, a major coup for a DC comics movie. Then the backlash began, with… Read More

Now Streaming on Netflix, Crave, and Prime: June 2019

June 14, 2019 flawintheiris

Knock Down The House | Netflix The inspirational documentary offering evidence that there are still leaders in the United States whose motivations are respectable, responsible, and righteous. The film follows the primary campaigns of four progressive Democrats, all women, all very different from different states, and all of whom are looking to make a difference… Read More

The Sisters Brothers review – Unusual western takes unexpected turns

October 19, 2018 flawintheiris

Directed by Jacques Audiard | Written by Audiard and Tom Bidegain, from the novel by Patrick DeWitt | 121 min This is that most American of genres, the western, essayed by a confirmed French art-house filmmaker, responsible for festival fare like Dheepan and Rust and Bone. The result is a compelling, if somewhat long-winded exploration… Read More