Tag: jonathanlajoie
Critical Distance: In This Movie, Your Sweet Is My Sour
In 1979, I drove a 1965 Chevrolet Corvair from my family home in the San Fernando Valley to my job in the Wilshire district of Los Angeles every day. Depending on traffic, the commute took 30-45 minutes. My car only...
Critical Distance: Things I Learned At SXSW 2016
A funny thing happened on the way to the Paramount Theatre. The theatre, built in 1915, seats some 1,300 people. It is elegant, it is classic, and it is a miserable place to watch a movie. Naturally, it serves as...
Critical Distance: In Praise Of The Ridiculous
The Academy Awards do not have a category for ' best achievement in ridiculousness,' but if they did, Gods of Egypt would be a shoo-in next year. I don't mean the description "ridiculous" like Adam Sandler probably intends it in...
Critical Distance: A TRANSPARENT Look At MOZART IN THE JUNGLE
The sophomore slump poses a very real danger to critically-praised creative debuts. On the small screen, all one needs to do is point to HBO's True Detective, a show that dissolved into frustrating nothingness during its second season. Divorced from...
Critical Distance: Michael Bay's Military Might Is Not So Strong After All
Sooner or later, Michael Bay will die. How will he be remembered? The filmmaker, soon to turn 51 years of age, will undoubtedly be honored as one of the greatest moneymakers in modern Hollywood history. The 12 movies he has...
Critical Distance: The SHAMELESS Age Of Binging MAKING A MURDERER
The first bare breasts appear early in the new season of Shameless. The first few episodes of Making a Murderer feature little more than a tease of possible dramatic impact to come. With its bounty of breasts, buttocks and broken...
Critical Distance: Will STAR WARS Reveal The Real J.J. Abrams?
Will the real J.J. Abrams finally be revealed in Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Abrams has directed five films, four of which have been franchise installments. So far, the only one that has felt personal is Super 8. He followed...
