Review: All Quiet on the Western Front

By Christopher James

Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer) heads into World War I in "All Quiet on the Western Front," the German submission this year for Best International Feature.

It’s daunting to remake a Best Picture winner. Steven Spielberg was able to breathe new life and vitality into West Side Story, making it a companion to the timeless original. But, more often than not, filmmakers buckle under the weight of expectations and self importance (like the failures of, say, Steven Zaillian's star-studded rendition of All the King’s Men or Timur Bekmambetov's Ben-Hur).

The Lewis Milestone adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's anti-war novel All Quiet on the Western Front in 1930 struck new ground for realism, brutality and anti-war sentiments. It earned Oscar wins for Best Picture and Best Director. It's been regarded as a classic ever since, later receiving citations on AFI’s list of best films and best epics and inclusion in the National Film Registry. How could a new film pack a similar punch? Director Edward Berger doesn’t reinvent the story, but his 2022 re-telling of All Quiet on the Western Front is loaded with enough technical panache to make it a worthy, additive remake and a great time at the movies...

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TIFF: "The Swimmers"

by Matt St Clair

In an early sequence from The Swimmers, we see both sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini jamming to “Titanium” by Sia. As they’re happily move on the dance floor in slow motion, the camera pans over to the escalating warfare happening in the background. That one scene is perfectly emblematic of the movie’s overall point of view. We watch these two real-life sisters persevere and maintained hope no matter the crises surrounding them... 

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TIFF: Florence Pugh in ‘The Wonder’

By Abe Friedtanzer

 

It’s much easier to expose a lie in today’s technology-driven world than it was in past centuries, when something that seemed supernatural or inexplicable might have been taken at face value rather than properly investigated. The Wonder, based on the novel by Room screenwriter Emma Donoghue, centers on an eleven-year-old girl in Ireland who hasn’t eaten in four months yet somehow remains alive and well, and the town committee that brings in an observer with the apparent purpose of verifying some sort of divine intervention rather than unveiling a deception…

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Streaming Roulette Aug '22: Akeelah, Belle, Ingrid, and other wonders

Okay, time for this month's streaming roulette. You know the rules. We highlight new-to-streaming titles by freezing them on the scroll bar at entirely random places and sharing what pops up! Any requests?

-Did you hear the word?
-I'm not sure if you're saying 'imminent' or 'eminent'.

Akeelah and the Bee (2005) on Hulu
Whichever word they meant, we can use it in a sentence! (In 2006) "Keke Palmer's stardom is imminent" (In 2022) "Keke Palmer is an eminent celebrity". Have you seen Nope (2022) yet? Read our review. Don't remember much about this debut other than that Keke was charming as a child actor and that the great Angela Bassett played her mom... which makes Keke's much-shared imitation of Angela Bassett even funnier... 

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Streaming Review: "Uncoupled" (Netflix)

Neil Patrick Harris stars in the latest Netflix comedy, "Uncoupled."By: Christopher James

When Emily in Paris first premiered, The New Yorker coined the term “ambient TV” to describe the show’s mass appeal, despite a critical drubbing and the memefication of its protagonist by the public. It’s a show made specifically for people to not concentrate on. It’s just looney and lighthearted enough to make audiences feel good. However, once you peel back just one layer of the surface, you can’t help but laugh AT it, rather than with it.

Darren Starr, who gave us both Sex and the City and Emily in Paris, returns to Netflix for his new gay-centric comedy Uncoupled. It’s co-created by fellow lover of froth, Jeffrey Richman (Modern Family, Desperate Housewives). It seems like equality means the LGBTQ+ community also needs its own piece of “ambient TV.” Uncoupled is slick, watchable and fun. It’s also maddening, featuring characters that seemed to have been born yesterday on some fun house version of Manhattan. Much like Emily in Paris, the inanity is part of the charm.

If you turn your brain off, you can float down the lazy river of Uncoupled’s charms. For those that watch with a more discerning eye, they will either make fun of the proceedings or be turned off by some of the off-brand sharp notes that don’t hit quite right.

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