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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

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Empire of Meh

September 12, 2022 Jordan Ruimy

I am not entirely sure what the point of Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light” was, other than to give Olivia Colman a major showcase role and set the film in a movie theatre. Cinema!

It does feature gorgeous photography from Roger Deakins, who is a total rock star. Otherwise, you get to see Olivia Colman’s Hilary work at a movie theater, fall for a younger black colleague (Michael Ward), suffer a few schizophrenic episodes and then heal by basking in the glorious experience of cinema.

There were no doubt good intentions here, Mendes is a more-than-decent filmmaker, but why must we endure this movie? What was the point of it, exactly? It starts off quite well, actually, effectively setting up a luminous 1980s English seaside setting, well-drawn characters and an impeccable atmosphere. However, by the second hour you realize that this character piece has nowhere to go.

In fact, “Empire of Light” turns into a promo for well-kept, old-school palace-like cinemas. The healing power of movies, they can cure your mental illness and make you rethink life, is what Mendes essentially says. Maybe it’s something that Academy voters might take the bait on.

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