Lance Edmands’ “Bluebird” is a story of loss and anger and denial set in a wintery, worn Maine paper mill town. Entropy slows to paralysis when a child dies on the watch of local school bus driver (Amy Morton) and a strained relationship with her logger husband (John Slattery) frays farther. The palpable sense of eddying fracture in the frosty reaches is heightened by brilliant location shooting by crack cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes (“Martha Marcy May Marlene,” “Tiny Furniture,” “Ballet 422”). With Louisa Krause, Margo Martindale, Emily Meade, Adam Driver. 99m. (Ray Pride)
Ray Pride is Newcity’s Senior Editor and Film Critic. He is a contributing editor of Filmmaker magazine.
Ray’s history of Chicago Ghost Signs is planned for publication next year. Previews of the project are on Twitter and on Instagram. More photography on Instagram.
Heart: A Review of Soul The real world is soulful, too, in Pixar's bountiful life of the mind.
Seeing The Elephant: A Review Of Babylon The boisterous, brawling yet melancholy "Babylon," is a variation on film history, but more drawing for drama. It's gaudy and mean, celebratory and sorrowful.
Spawn Sacrifice: A Review Of The Creator "The Creator" is richly detailed, punchy, pulpy, punkish entertainment that still has highly serious subjects in mind, without growing didactic and with substantial heart.
Heart of Darkness: A Review of The Batman The three-hour film noir unfolds briskly, an intensive study in the pervasive interplay of power, money and corruption in what seems like perpetual rainy night.
Fine Line: A Review Of Shortcomings It's a season for the comeuppance of a curmudgeon in Randall Park's smart, biting "Shortcomings," adapted by Adrian Tomine from his graphic novel of the same name.
