Aarcflick

 Imagine my confusion when I saw a new horror movie in theaters this weekend, and it was one I'd already seen months ago. Or so I thought. Upon closer look, Bagman is actually a completely different movie; the movie I was thinking of was actually Baghead. And while I didn't care for that British horror film all that much, it seems comparatively better after having seen Colm McCarthy's Bagman. First of all, I'm always pleased when horror movies unearth obscure monsters from folklore once the more popular examples have been exhausted. However, writer John Hulme didn't look that far when he looked into mythology for inspiration; the main character of Bagman is basically another Boogeyman.  Except he carries a sack that he stuffs children into. To be more specific, naughty children. It's unclear if that last part applies at all to the story of this movie, as none of the kidnapped children are particularly misbehaving. If annoying your mom with an instrument is groun...

When she won a Golden Globe for “The Devil Wears Prada,” Meryl Streep was at her best about the role costume design could play in movies, while thanking costume designer Patricia Field: “They were like special effects for our movie.” Indeed, “special effects” is what Pat Field’s effervescent touch brings to any project she signs her name to, the most popular of which is undoubtedly HBO’s “Sex and the City.” With the exception perhaps of “Mad Men,” has there been another culturally iconic television series in the past quarter-century that has influenced, and even evolved, the way people dress in their daily lives? Director: Michael Selditch Stars: Jean Michel Basquiat, Kim Cattrall, Lily Collins So it’s no easy task to do justice to the life and legacy of Field, a colorful New York City personality about whom a book was recently published. (Field doesn’t call it an autobiography, since that word sounds too definitive to her.) But more versed in episodic productions like CNN’s four-part ...

 Two brothers trek across the American West in an attempt to reconcile past traumas and forge a new bond in Sheridan O’Donnell’s deeply moving debut. Jake (Daniel Diemer, Netflix’s The Half Of It) and his brother Pete (Philip Ettinger, A24’s First Reformed) pile into a beat-up van, heading to Albuquerque bound for Seattle. Pete has just attempted suicide for the umpteenth time and his concerned parents (JK Simmons, Spiderman: No Way Home, Whiplash) have enlisted Jake to drive Pete home for a family intervention. Two brothers trek across the American West in an attempt to reconcile past traumas and forge a new bond in Sheridan O’Donnell’s deeply moving debut. Jake (Daniel Diemer, Netflix’s The Half Of It) and his brother Pete (Philip Ettinger, A24’s First Reformed) pile into a beat-up van, headed to Albuquerque bound for Seattle. Pete has just attempted suicide for the umpteenth time and his concerned parents (JK Simmons, Spiderman: No Way Home, Whiplash) have recruited Jake to driv...

 A critic’s job is to provide recommendations to the general public based on a presumed solid knowledge of art forms. These days, some assume that favorable reviews must have been paid for and that brutal critiques indicate a pre-existing vendetta against someone or something.  A story set nearly a century ago, long before the rise of TikTok influencers, it may have a period feel, but it covers many of the same themes. Anand Tucker’s The Critic presents a glamorous portrait of an old-fashioned theater critic and the lengths he’s willing to go to stay relevant. Director: Anand Tucker Writers: Patrick Marber, Anthony Quinn Stars: Gemma Arterton, Ian McKellen, Lesley Manville Ian McKellen plays Jimmy Erskine, a revered employee of The Daily Chronicle who has been with the paper for four decades. The death of his editor puts his son, David Brooke (Mark Strong), in charge, and Jimmy is immediately put on notice. Jimmy doesn't like Brooke discrediting an actress he finds charming, a...

Esteemed film critic Roger Ebert once declared that movies are enormous empathy-generating machines, a statement I wholeheartedly embraced and there is no better demonstration of this phenomenon than with How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies. The ups and downs of emotions and the rollercoaster of feelings was one hell of a ride! Writer-director Pat Boonnitipat didn’t even try to reinvent the wheel. You know exactly what’s going to happen in the end; there’s no final miracle cure (I’m looking at you, Queen of Tears), there’s no “it’s always darkest before the dawn” ending and there’s no final twist (there is a twist of sorts, but Choo whispered to me what the twist will be an hour before it happened and of course he was right.  How does he do this every time?), but this is a testament to great storytelling in that you don’t need twists and turns, flashy cinematography, full orchestration, a CGI dream sequence or the whole shebang to serve up a delicious plate of feelings. It jus...

Claire Hiller's joy at the miraculous resurrection of her daughter Robin after a fatal accident turns to dread when she notices disturbing changes, fearing that something dark has followed Robin since she is apparently dead.  Robin is a fifteen-year-old with a great talent for the piano, which in the opening we see her playing in a picturesque Roman church, full of people who have come to see her perform. Claire, her mother, is loving and understanding towards her and seems to understand and support her fully. Director: Robert Salerno Writer: Sarah Conradt Stars: Connie Britton, Giovanni Cirfiera, Freya Hannan-Mills Robin has decided to stop talking since childhood, after a tragic car accident in which her sister lost her life. But after a second accident, from which Robin miraculously emerges unharmed, she begins to speak again. Despite Clare's initial enthusiasm, the situation soon takes a disturbing turn: the fifteen-year-old begins to display increasingly sinister behaviors...