Interview by Greg Carlson Writer-director Brett Haley spoke with Greg Carlson ahead of the Fargo Film Festival’s screening of “The Hero” at 7:00 p.m. on March 24. Greg Carlson: Congratulations on “The Hero.” I was at the second Sundance screening. The one where you had been up all night and had just sold it. […]
The Hero
Movie review by Greg Carlson Filmmaker Brett Haley carves out a juicy and glorious victory lap for golden-voiced treasure Sam Elliott in “The Hero,” a thematic companion piece to the warm “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” which gave Blythe Danner a similar showcase. Elliott is Lee Hayden, an imagined version of the actor himself. […]
Posted by GBC on March 6, 2017
https://southpawfilmworks.net/?p=3444
I Am Not Your Negro
Movie review by Greg Carlson In Raoul Peck’s monumental documentary “I Am Not Your Negro,” one of the best moments – and there are several dozen from which to choose – comes courtesy a clip from the 74th episode from the first season of “The Dick Cavett Show.” Originally aired June 13, 1968, the broadcast […]
Posted by GBC on February 27, 2017
https://southpawfilmworks.net/?p=3438
Dina
Movie review by Greg Carlson The U.S. documentary grand jury prize winner at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles’ “Dina” is an empathetic portrait of love and resilience. Following the ups and downs of the wedding preparations undertaken by title subject Dina Buno and her husband-to-be Scott Levin in greater Philadelphia, […]
Posted by GBC on February 20, 2017
https://southpawfilmworks.net/?p=3431
The Lego Batman Movie
Movie review by Greg Carlson A virtually critic-proof three ring circus of toy-based programming and winking self-reference guaranteed to give even the most devoted admirer whiplash, “The Lego Batman Movie” duplicates some of the charm of its 2014 Phil Lord and Christopher Miller-directed predecessor. Led by Chris McKay, the “new” adventure is pure postmodern pastiche: […]
Posted by GBC on February 13, 2017
https://southpawfilmworks.net/?p=3427
Oklahoma City
Movie review by Greg Carlson Veteran filmmaker Barak Goodman’s “Oklahoma City” is a timely and sobering historical document with unsettling connections to the ugly “alt right” rhetoric touching the increasingly tense national political climate. Following a Sundance Film Festival world premiere, the feature debuts on PBS’ “American Experience” February 7, 2017. In the film, Goodman […]
Posted by GBC on February 6, 2017
https://southpawfilmworks.net/?p=3418
Raw
Movie review by Greg Carlson A sinewy, blood-drenched feast of old fashioned gore and fresh storytelling, first-time feature writer-director Julia Ducournau’s “Raw” is the cannibal horror comedy you never knew you needed. Made with a level of confidence not seen in filmmakers with half a dozen completed movies, “Raw” builds a wholly engrossing and fully […]
Posted by GBC on February 3, 2017
https://southpawfilmworks.net/?p=3414
Gretchen Kaye Carlson Kost (1974-2017)
Reflection by Greg Carlson My little sister, Gretchen Kaye Carlson Kost, died Monday, January 30, 2017. A dearly cherished daughter and sibling, wife and mother, cousin and conspirator, she was a friend first, a friend often, and a friend always. She was also a displayer of dimples, which as a kid she often labored to […]
Posted by GBC on January 31, 2017
https://southpawfilmworks.net/?p=3409
Into the Inferno
Movie review by Greg Carlson Inspired by the work of volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer and his 2011 book “Eruptions That Shook the World,” Werner Herzog dazzles and mesmerizes viewers of “Into the Inferno,” a nonfiction examination that encapsulates the essence of the legendary filmmaker’s lasting appeal. Narrated by Herzog in the familiar style poetically juxtaposing bleakly […]
Posted by GBC on January 18, 2017
https://southpawfilmworks.net/?p=3404
The Handmaiden
Movie review by Greg Carlson Master director Chan-wook Park’s diabolically pleasurable “The Handmaiden” delights the eye with its sumptuous costumes, production design, and photography, and also tickles the imagination with its structural gamesmanship. While it seems that the majority of films tagged “erotic psychological thrillers” fail to satisfy even one of that trio of descriptors, […]
Posted by GBC on January 14, 2017
https://southpawfilmworks.net/?p=3398