Past Lives
SimilarA Bronx Tale (1993), A Real Young Girl (1976), Copying Beethoven (2006), The Holiday (2006),
Watch afterBlue Beetle (2023), Elemental (2023), Meg 2: The Trench (2023), Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023),
Oppenheimer (2023) The Flash (2023), tick tick... BOOM! (2021),
It doesn’t take much for someone who once meant a whole lot to you to creep into your thoughts every now and then. It’s not an everyday obsessive thing, where they’re a shadow lingering over you. It’s softer, more subtle: a snippet of a song, or something that reminds you of a private joke once shared. Even if the fire has long burned out, an ember or two will glow for an instant. Then it’s gone, and the life you’ve lived without them goes on. Continue Reading →
Dear Evan Hansen
SimilarAlex Strangelove (2018), The Big Blue (1988), The Fisher King (1991), West Side Story (2021),
Ben Platt's age is the least of our problems in Stephen Chbosky's misguided adaptation of an already misguided high school musical.
(This review is part of our coverage of the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.)
There’s a scene toward the middle of Dear Evan Hansen where Larry (Danny Pino) finally allows himself to grieve the loss of his stepson, Connor (Colton Ryan). With his reserve and face crumbling in tandem, he bursts into the family home and reaches for his wife. The camera lingers behind Cynthia (Amy Adams) as Larry tucks himself into her shoulder and her hair sweeps to the side a little. This means that, in this moment of catharsis, the audience is treated to a perfectly framed Lululemon logo on the back of her jacket, right in the middle of the screen, right between a ponytail and a portrait of conquered repression. Continue Reading →