MARISSA THE CINEPHILE

[Film Reviews from a Female Brain]

  • Oddly Poignant: My Dinner with Andre

      “You can’t have dialogue without fear of judgement these days.” The statement above certainly enforces the notion we’re living in some agitated state of an Orwellian nightmare; constant agitation, constant scrutinization, constant tracking, constant manipulation, constant painstaking marketable propaganda soaked in revenue stressors. Of course society is having a meltdown as every man, woman, Read more

  • Disturbed Ruthlessness: TITANE

      It’s an extraordinary feat, one I prematurely criticized as garbage but have come to settle in the cloud of realization, that body horror in filmmaking has an edge most mainstream audiences like to ignore for being so blatantly gruesome. I feel like I fell into that category for some years, but after endless research, Read more

  • Baked in Apathy: DON’T LOOK UP

      The world is coming to an end! Its political satire, obviously where all the jabs are hit in all the right places. Yeah, this could totally happen when you have an incompetent body of government, who are strongly influenced by corporate war lords who control everything and make decisions that cost the environment and Read more

  • That Escalated Fast: ZOLA

      There’s nothing more surreal than real life. In fact, sometimes it feels like watching fireworks in slow motion. I often wonder sometimes out of random curiosity if I were to walk into a biker bar, conjure up a conversation about EASY RIDER with some dudes, had some sharp thoughts and laughter to share, drank Read more

  • Idiosyncratic Recluse: Kajillionaire

      An oddity with an offbeat demeanor, scavenging on the side of life, with ruthless compromise, vacant of familial bonding where survival is the only prize, all while dismissing the trap of capitalistic living. Miranda July’s quirky comedy KAJILLIONAIRE is strangely built, nearly echoing familiar ties to the tone of NAPOLEON DYNAMITE meets BRIGSBY BEAR Read more

  • Trailblazing: BEING THE RICARDOS

      I was really skeptical when I saw the trailer for Aaron Sorkin’s BEING THE RICARDOS but after much trepidation and predisposed judgment, I succumbed to my curiosity and now I am dazzled like a child who has just won a stuffed animal from a claw machine. OK first off, from what I’ve read, critics Read more

  • Charming & Heartwarming: LICORICE PIZZA

      I am so fascinated in studying the genesis and ethos of Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest feat that is LICORICE PIZZA. He’s delved up inspiration from reconstructing notable personas into some hilarious human moments, influenced from revered friendships, and personal anecdotes, all percolating as he was ruminating on a walk in his own neighborhood eons Read more

  • SINISTER YUCK YUCK: DOPESICK

      The opening monologue given by Michael Stuhlbarg’s character Richard Sackler in Hulu’s latest mini series DOPESICK hovers sharply on the twisted notion that he can cure pain with an addictive narcotic known as Oxycontin. Spoiler alert! You can’t. It has made my stomach twist in ways I never thought possible. Pure evil. Sinister. These Read more

  • Let’s Roll: ROLLER BOOGIE

      OK, so it’s a poorly acted film. It’s plot is recognizable, absolutely predictable from a universal standpoint. The dialogue is too cheesy to even repeat. Depth is not even part of its orbit. In fact it’s a wannabe SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER but for roller skating, there’s even a brief snippet of the poster shown Read more

  • Existential Crisis in Paradise : OLD

      I’m going to say it. This would have made for a better short film. Two hours is too long. Trim off the fat, tighten the story line, have fewer characters and make this a low budget thrill fest. Sigh. If you enjoyed the twist at the end of THE SIXTH SENSE then you might, Read more