• Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Lists
    • Yearly Top Tens
    • Trailers
    • Contact
    • Hire Me
    • About
Menu

World of Reel

Street Address
City, State, Zip
Phone Number
Home
Box-Office: ‘Final Destination’ $53M, ‘Sinners’ Beats ‘Thunderbolts’
IMG_5435.png
Sylvain Chomet’s Next Film is ‘Triplets of Belleville’ Sequel
IMG_5431.jpg
Kathryn Bigelow Involved in A24’s ‘Near Dark’ Remake Series
IMG_5428.jpg
‘Die, My Love’ Elevated by Jennifer Lawrence’s Extraordinary Performance [Cannes]
IMG_5425.jpg
‘Nouvelle Vague’: Linklater’s Homage to Godard’s New Wave is A Playful Hangout Movie [Cannes]
Featured
Capture.PNG
Aug 19, 2019
3-Hour ‘Midsommar' Director's Cut Screened in NYC
Aug 19, 2019

This year’s 12th edition of the Scary Movies festival at Film at Lincoln Center premiered Ari Aster’s extended version of “Midsommar” this past Saturday.

Aug 19, 2019

World of Reel

  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Lists
  • More
    • Yearly Top Tens
    • Trailers
  • About
    • Contact
    • Hire Me
    • About

‘Vengeance’: B.J. Novak’s Assertive Debut Tries to Find Answers in a Polarized America [Review]

July 28, 2022 Jordan Ruimy

Ben Manalowitz (B.J. Novak), a journalist and podcaster from New York City, travels to West Texas to investigate the death of a girl he was hooking up with.

Her family seems to think they had an intense bond, but, to him, it was nothing more than a Tinder fling. Ben decides to make a podcast out of the eccentric characters he meets in this murder-mystery. In turn, “Vengeance” turns into a sort of live-action version of a podcast. To say more about the plot would ruin some of the surprises in store for the audience.

That’s the gist of Novak’s directorial debut, “Vengeance,” a fine-as-it-goes detective story that tackles the media, American polarization and the opioid crisis. Talk about ambition, Novak’s film has it in spades.

This is a well-directed and paced mystery that never loses its grip on you until its preachy climax shows up. Regardless, it’s a curioys mystery and features what might just be the best performance Ashton Kutcher has ever given us as a sketchy music producer who may have had a romantic connection to the dead girl.

I loved how Novak kept on making parallels between big city detachment and the blue-collar reality of rural America. He’s not patronizing red state America either, just trying to find an understanding of a part of the country that feels incredibly distant from the big city. [B]

In REVIEWS
← ‘Blonde’ Trailer Gives Off Eerie Vibes, But What’s Up With That Accent?Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ Teaser Officially Released →

FOLLOW US!


Trending

Featured
IMG_5403.jpg
Ari Aster’s ‘Eddington’ POLARIZES; Starts as Satire, Ends in Horror — Not Everyone’s Buying It [Cannes]
IMG_5383.jpg
‘Sirat’ Screens — Surreal, Chaotic and Unsettling [Cannes]
IMG_5352.jpg
‘Mission: Impossible 8’ Review Embargo Breaks — It’s A Mess [Cannes]
IMG_5328.jpg
‘Sound of Falling’ Gets Bogged Down by Heavy Symbolism [Cannes]
IMG_4571.jpg
David Fincher & Brad Pitt Reunite for ‘The Continuing Adventures of Cliff Booth' + Plot Details

Critics Polls

Featured
Capture.PNG
Critics Poll: ‘Vertigo’ Named Best Film of the 1950s, Over 120 Participants
B16BAC21-5652-44F6-9E83-A1A5C5DF61D7.jpeg
Critics Poll: Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ Tops Our 1960s Critics Poll
Capture.PNG
Critics Poll: ‘The Godfather’ Named Best Movie of the 1970s
public.jpeg
Critics Poll: ‘Do the Right Thing' Named Best Movie of the 1980s
Critics Poll: ‘Mulholland Drive' Named Best Film of the 2000s
g4.jpg
Critics' Poll: ‘Goodfellas' Named Best Movie of the 1990s
Critics Poll: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road' Named Best Movie of the 2010s
World of Reel tagline.PNG
 

Content

Contribute

Hire me

 

Support

Advertise

Donate

 

About

Team

Contact

Privacy Policy

Site designed by Jordan Ruimy © 2023