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Articles by Ciara Wardlow
The 2023 Irish Farmer Calendar Snubbed the Best Part of Ireland and It Is Not Okay
By Ciara Wardlow | Social Media | September 24, 2022 | By Ciara Wardlow | Social Media | September 24, 2022 | It was recently brought to my attention that Tom + Lorenzo releases an annual calendar composed entirely of hot Irish farmers in varying states of undress.
Women of the Movement
A solid if somewhat staid docudrama recounting the murder of Emmett Till and the subsequent legal proceedings, the six-part limited series “Women of the Movement” is the sort of edutainment programming in which the drive to inform supersedes all else, even when it's to the detriment of artistry and dramatic impact.
Colin in Black & White movie review (2022) | Roger Ebert
In 2016, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the U.S. national anthem to protest racial injustice, a small act that sparked one of the biggest sports controversies in history. While Kaepernick’s message has gone mainstream in the years since, his stance at the time effectively ended his NFL career.
HBO Max’s Julia is a Charming First Course that Leaves Room for More
TV/Streaming The new HBO Max series “Julia” has many strengths to its credit, and this review will savor them at length later. But first, it must be said: this is not a comedy. There are funny bits, yes. And because it’s a slice-of-life character study of the kitchen sink variety—there are little bits of everything.
Atlanta Finally Returns for Season 3, Bolder Than Ever
TV/Streaming After two critically acclaimed installments and a four-year hiatus, the third season of the FX series “Atlanta,” created by and starring Donald Glover, debuts with what one might imagine to be impossibly high expectations. But the endlessly clever series wastes no time in reasserting its dominance as one of the boldest shows on television. After all, “Atlanta” sets precedents, it does not follow them—not even its own.
‘Bridgerton’ Season Two Review: Netflix’s Record-Breaking Regency Romance Returns With A Slower But More Satisfying Burn
Two years after making a splash as one of the biggest Netflix hits of all time, regency romance “Bridgerton” is back. Much like in the novels by Julia Quinn, from which the series is adapted, the sophomore installment focuses on Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), the eldest Bridgerton son, in his quest for a bride.
Hulu’s Life & Beth is a Heartfelt Mixed Bag | TV/Streaming | Roger Ebert
A 40-ish woman, deeply unsatisfied with her life and over-reliant on alcohol, returns to her hometown in the wake of a family tragedy. Reconnecting with old acquaintances from her youth, she faces old wounds from her past, including a fraught relationship with her mother, returns an old passion from her teenage days, and takes steps towards reconnecting with her sister as she seeks to rediscover a sense of joy and meaning in life.
NBC's The Thing About Pam Should Have Been a Feature Film
TV/Streaming The thing about the new NBC limited series “The Thing About Pam” is that it's emblematic of a relatively new phenomenon, one that speaks to just how dominant episodic storytelling has become in our media landscape. Not too long ago, it was all too common to see stories that would have been better for episodic television ineffectively crammed into feature films, the plots of phonebook-sized tomes chopped beyond recognition to have a beginning, middle, and end in under three hours.
Asking For It movie review & film summary (2022) | Roger Ebert
Since its entry into mainstream cinema in the 1970s, the “rape-revenge” subgenre has never really disappeared from the scene.
Review: Escape the Worst Timeline For a Few Hours with the Fluffy Delights of 'Marry Me'
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | February 28, 2022 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | February 28, 2022 | In case you have not heard, the post-Covid “new normal” might actually start looking normal-ish pretty soon (Omicron subvariants dependent), and just in time for Putin to invade Ukraine. Sure, the WWIII predictions might be a bit hasty, but studies have shown that even bees turn into pessimists after being put in a box and shaken vigorously to induce stress, so the hyperbole feels earned in that regard.
Bridget Everett Shines in HBO’s Disarmingly Earnest Dramedy Somebody Somewhere | TV/Streaming | Roger Ebert
The new HBO series “Somebody Somewhere” is a comedy in the sense that its episodes are a half-hour long, which as of late seems to be sufficient to be labeled a comedy in the television world. A much more accurate way to describe it would be a half-hour drama that uses humor as a coping mechanism, and to great effect. Bridgett Everett stars as Sam, 40-something and floundering, who is back in her hometown of Manhattan after more than a decade away with little to show for it.
The Pink Cloud movie review & film summary (2022) | Roger Ebert
Depending on how you look at it, “The Pink Cloud,” an eerily atmospheric yet understated science fiction parable, either represents a case of fortunate or unfortunate timing. A claustrophobic drama of humanity stuck in quarantine following the sudden and inexplicable appearance of toxic pink clouds, "The Pink Cloud" was shot in 2019, before anyone could have any idea how relevant a story about an endless quarantine was about to be.
Review: I Have Now Stared into the Void, and it’s Called 'The 355'
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | January 13, 2022 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | January 13, 2022 | I have now presumably seen a film called The 355. Its images have washed over my eyeballs. I sat through two hours and four minutes of footage that could be called scenes, in which an absolutely stacked cast including Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Lupita Nyong’o, Diane Kruger, and Fan Bingbing said words that technically constitute as dialogue.
Review: ‘Parallel Mothers’ is Mid-Tier Pedro Almodóvar, Still Better Than Most Other Things
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | January 5, 2022 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | January 5, 2022 | Soon-to-be first-time mothers Janis (Penelope Cruz) and Ana (newcomer Milena Smit, who holds her own) meet as roommates in the maternity ward, bonding over helping each other through contractions.
'Flee' Paints a Moving Portrait of a Refugee's Search for Home and Belonging
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | December 20, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | December 20, 2021 | Plenty of documentaries use animation as a tool, for embellishment and explanation, to supplement archival footage and talking heads, or to graphically illustrate a concept. But the truly animated documentary—that is, a documentary that is overwhelmingly or entirely animated—is a rare breed, particularly in the feature-length space.
Amazon’s Harlem Delivers a Fun, Flirty Romp of New York City Glamour, Finally in Color | TV/Streaming | Roger Ebert
Centering four stylish and ambitious thirty-something best friends, the new Amazon series “Harlem” feels like one of several recent and upcoming releases that seem to be aiming to fill a “Sex and the City” type void, from “The Sex Lives of College Girls” to the actual “Sex and the City” revival “And Just Like That.” And considering the overwhelming whiteness of the most prominent titles within the wider “New York City glamour” genre, the all-Black cast and uptown focus of "Harlem" delivers a...
Review: 'King Richard' Serves Up a Fresh Take on the Sports Biopic
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | November 22, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | November 22, 2021 | There will certainly be those who say that King Richard is a typical biopic because it is glossy and feel-good, and Will Smith is clearly making an award-season run with his portrayal of Richard Williams, father and coach to Venus and Serena Williams.
HBO Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls is a Fun but Flawed Romp | TV/Streaming | Roger Ebert
Daring to go where few comedy series have gone before, “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” a new HBO Max comedy half hour created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, takes place on a college campus, defying the TV standard of defaulting young adult tales to the more “universal” high school experience.
Review: ‘Son of Monarchs’ Crafts a Poetic Blend of Science and Art, Occasionally Forgets Story
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | November 11, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | November 11, 2021 | There is no movie science more maligned than genetics. Geneticists are, with incredibly few exceptions, the modern Dr. Frankensteins, playing God in all the wrong ways, set to be struck down for their hubris.
Review: Rebecca Hall’s ‘Passing’ Passes But Not With Flying Colors
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | October 19, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | October 19, 2021 | In 1920s New York, two Black women with a shared past reconnect in the unlikeliest of places: the dining room of a whites-only hotel.
HBO’s Succession Season 3 Sees Kendall Secede, Series Succeed in Exceeding Expectations
Toxic, powerful families have been the stuff great dramas are made of since before Aristotle wrote Poetics. Never in human history has there been a shortage of stories to choose from exploring the lives of the outrageously wealthy and miserable, and in recent memory, the paradigm of excellence for this rich and storied lineage is without a doubt “Succession,” HBO’s accoladed drama series created by British scribe Jesse Armstrong (“Peep Show,” “The Thick of It”).
The Movie Science of 'No Time to Die' Is So Bad It Accidentally Validates Eugenics
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | October 12, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | October 12, 2021 | WARNING: This article deals with spoilers for the ending of No Time to Die. Only proceed if you do not mind being spoiled. Unless it deals with space, movie science is, generally speaking, pathetically bad.
NYFF Review: Joel Coen’s ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ is an Impeccably Stylish Act of Mimicry
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | October 7, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | October 7, 2021 | What if there was a film version of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth that looked like if F. W. Murnau’s Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans and Carl Theodor Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc had a baby? This seems to be the central question that Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth asks and answers.
Review: 'No Time to Die' Ends Daniel Craig’s Bond Era with a Bang that Hits Like a Whimper
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | October 1, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | October 1, 2021 | This is how long Daniel Craig has played James Bond: when Casino Royale was released in theaters, Billie Eilish, who co-wrote and performs the “No Time to Die” theme song, was 5 years old. In short, it’s been a while. Even without a year-and-a-half COVID delay, No Time to Die, Craig’s for-real-this-time farewell to the franchise would have some really high expectations to meet.
Review: 'Blue Bayou' Makes a Beautiful Mess of a Heartbreaking Issue
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | September 21, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | September 21, 2021 | Blue Bayou, the latest effort from multi-hyphenate Justin Chon (Gook)—here writer-director-star, once upon a time Eric Yorkie in the Twilight series, which has somehow become the gift that keeps on giving to independent cinema—is both the best and worst of times as far as social issue melodramas are concerned.
Ruthless 'Wild Indian' Recounts a Compellingly Potent if Overly Sparse Tragedy of Assimilation
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | September 10, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | September 10, 2021 | “Some time ago, there was an Ojibwe man, who got a little sick and wandered the West.” Wild Indian, the feature debut from Ojibwe writer-director Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr., opens with these words, and then introduces us to the man of the hour: Makwa, or, as he comes to be known, “Michael” (Michael Greyeyes).
Review: Riz Ahmed’s Soul-Searching Freestyle Mesmerizes in Flawed but Winningly Bold ‘Mogul Mowgli’
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | September 5, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | September 5, 2021 | Buoyed by a mesmerizing performance from Riz Ahmed and poetic visual storytelling, Mogul Mowgli is a compellingly daring, if at times uneven, tale of art, identity, and sublimated trauma. Ahmed stars as Zed, a British-Pakistani rapper on the verge of international success.
The Bees in 'Candyman' are Basically Wasps in Real Life
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | August 31, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | August 31, 2021 | The bees in Nia DaCosta’s new Candyman film really should have been wasps. Yes, this is a very niche hill to die on. But also: hear me out.
Review: Nia DaCosta’s Horrifically Entertaining 'Candyman' Keeps the Legend Alive
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | August 27, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | August 27, 2021 | While sequels, reboots, and adaptations overwhelm the modern movie landscape across the board, the current status quo has really been standard procedure in horror for nearing a century. A cycle of Frankenstein films spotlighting the monster made waves in the 1930s only for a new series shifting the spotlight to his creator to turn heads in the 1950s.
Review: Aretha Franklin Biopic ‘Respect’ Serenades the Queen of Soul in a Familiar but Well-Executed Tale
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | August 13, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | August 13, 2021 | Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul, general GOAT, and one of the most distinctive vocalists of the past century, is the sort of star who shined so brightly that it’s hard to believe she was not celebrated in celluloid prior to 2021.
Now on HBO Max: Steven Soderbergh's 'No Sudden Move' Could Have Used Some 'Ocean's Eleven' Flavor
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | July 6, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | July 6, 2021 | Director Steven Soderbergh is a master of the modern crime caper from Ocean’s Eleven to Logan Lucky. Yet his latest A-list ensemble heist flick, No Sudden Move, is decidedly heavier than his previous expeditions. In spite of its July release, the film is about as far from a summer vibe as one can imagine, from its muted, autumnal color palette to the rather staid dramatic approach it takes throughout.
Tribeca Review: 'Paper and Glue' Presents a Heartwarming Manifesto on the Power of Art and Representation
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | June 30, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | June 30, 2021 | “I’m open,” French photographer and street artist JR earnestly tells a roomful of maximum-security prison inmates at Tehachapi Supermax Prison in California. Known for the larger-than-life-size photo murals that he’s done around the world, he’s planning to do a giant mural of all the inmates in the prison yard, but he wants their input and blessing before moving forward.
Tribeca Review: Fresh but Flawed ‘Catch the Fair One’ Presents a Brutal Take on Revenge Tropes
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | June 24, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | June 24, 2021 | There are many revenge films out there, and a fair few dealing with sex crimes, but nothing quite like Catch the Fair One. While there have even been some films dealing with Native women as victims (yes, Wind River, I’m talking about you), the sophomore feature from writer-director Josef Wladyka (Manos Sucias) takes the crucial additional step of actually centering the story around a Native protagonist.
Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer
The very best documentaries manage to succeed profoundly as both art and education, but most really “pick a side,” so to speak. Some are far more engaged in the art and story of it all, even if that means playing looser with the facts. Other documentaries clearly see themselves as an educational tool, first and foremost. “Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer,” the new documentary from filmmaker Dawn Porter (“John Lewis: Good Trouble,” “The Way I See It”), is staunchly in the latter category.
Apple TV+’s Dark Physical is Definitely Not a Comedy but Still Worth Your Time
It’s 1981, and frustrated housewife Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne) has a lot of anger and no outlet for it. She and her husband, Danny (Rory Scovel), are 1960s socialists who have since suburbanized, settling down in San Diego. Danny, a shining star of the anti-Vietnam war movement now down-sliding into middle-aged mediocrity, teaches political science at a local college while Sheila stays home to run the household and take care of young daughter Maya.
The Burden Hollywood Puts on Black Storytellers (And How to Fix It)
As a development coordinator at a production company, a significant portion of my job involves reading scripts, primarily from emerging and early career writers.
Now on HBO Max: ‘In The Heights’ Makes for a Cotton-Candy Sweet, Deliciously Summery Spectacle
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | June 11, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | June 11, 2021 | The long-gestating film adaptation of In The Heights might have been filmed pre-Covid, but it feels tailor-made to lure audiences back into theaters—the sort of movie that’s made to be seen on a big screen with a tub of popcorn and an Icee. It’s a hefty dose of summer sunshine that can be enjoyed in air-conditioned, mosquito-free comfort. The summer tentpole is back! Director Jon M.
Review: David Oyelowo's Directorial Debut 'The Water Man' Delivers A Kids Quest That's All Too Familiar
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | May 21, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | May 21, 2021 | Stop me if you’ve seen this one before: there’s this creative kid—definitely a bit of a loner—who seeks refuge in a fantasy in the face of a traumatic situation, only for their commitment to their fantasy to lead them into real danger. Pan’s Labyrinth? You might be guessing. The Spirit of the Beehive? A Monster Calls?
'Spiral' Review: Everyone Sucks Here, But Not in a Fun Way
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | May 14, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | May 14, 2021 | The ninth installment of the Saw film series and the fourth directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, Spiral: From the Book of Saw comes across as an attempt to revamp the franchise that chips away at its fundamental appeal without bringing anything new to the table. Chris Rock stars at Zeke Banks, a tired rehash of the tired, jaded cop archetype.
Review: Gentle Hug of a Movie 'The Outside Story' Makes an Excellent Case for Brian Tyree Henry's Star Power
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | May 4, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | May 4, 2021 | Managing to get locked out of one’s place of residence is just about one of the most universally relatable human experiences, ranking just beneath breathing air and paying taxes.
Review: Gorgeously Shot 'Gunda' Will Leave You Guilty for Loving Bacon, Also Kinda Makes No Sense
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | April 19, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | April 19, 2021 | Viktor Kossakovsky’s gorgeously shot portrait of a pig’s life begins with the titular sow feeding her newborn litter of piglets in a charmingly bucolic wooden pigpen. The intimate close-ups, daringly free of voiceover or music, feel like they’re nearly in real-time, with the scene going on for as long as it takes for Gunda’s patience to run out and determine that mealtime is over, shaking the sucklers off.
Review: Tiffany Haddish Steals The Show in 'Bad Trip,' a Solid, if not Spectacular, Hidden Camera Comedy
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | March 29, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | March 29, 2021 | Within the realm of hidden camera prank comedies, there are two basic flavors: those where an outlandish character or set of characters is unleashed upon the unsuspecting public (Borat), and those where the series of elaborately staged pranks revolves entirely around a specific target (Windy City Heat).
Review: Benedict Cumberbatch's Stylish Spy Drama 'The Courier' Hits Like a Sleeping Pill
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | March 22, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | March 22, 2021 | The Courier is based on a true story. Unfortunately, it is one of those films that thinks being based on a true story is enough to warrant its existence, because there’s really not much else here. It’s a Cold War spy drama that’s with archetypal characters you’ve definitely seen a hundred times before, and themes so generic they’re literally not worth discussing any further.
Review: Visually Stunning 'Judas and the Black Messiah' Will Educate or Exasperate You
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | February 15, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | February 15, 2021 | The Black Panther Party might have been originally called the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, but in truth, they spent a lot more time talking about education than guns. This is certainly not something I learned in school, but from my father. He wasn’t a full-fledged member but attended some BPP community education events back in the day. “They ran a free breakfast program for kids,” he told me.
Review: Bone Dry ‘French Exit’ Understands Michelle Pfeiffer’s Star Power, Seems Confused About Everything Else
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | February 12, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | February 12, 2021 | French Exit could be loosely described as a comedy, albeit the sort of comedy that seems to consider actual laughter far too gauche.
Review: Visually Enchanting ’The Dig’ Ironically Fails to Dig Deeper
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | January 31, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | January 31, 2021 | As an American, my understanding of England is that you cannot dig up a parking lot without stumbling across the remains of Richard III.
Review: The Devil is in the Details of the Divinely Creepy ‘Saint Maud’
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | January 27, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | January 27, 2021 | When devout born-again Catholic Maud (Morfydd Clark), a palliative care nurse, arrives at the home of her latest patient, modern dance trailblazer turned reclusive minor celebrity Amanda Köhl (Jennifer Ehle), she thinks she’s finally found a God-given mission. After all, what could be godlier than saving the soul of a terminally ill sinner?
Now on Netflix: ‘White Tiger’ Tells a Cutthroat Rags-to-Riches Tale, Hold the B*llsh*t
By Ciara Wardlow | Film | January 24, 2021 | By Ciara Wardlow | Film | January 24, 2021 | “I was trapped in the rooster coop, and don’t believe for a second there’s a million-rupee game show you can win to get out of it.” For everyone who rolled their eyes at the tacky saccharine sheen of Slumdog Millionaire, I come bearing good news: The White Tiger is now a film that exists.
The Ultimate List of Movie Mad Scientists
Dr. Hans Reinhardt (The Black Hole) One of the weirdest moves Disney has ever made—and at the time, their most expensive cinematic endeavor to date—is undoubtedly The Black Hole, a humorless and surprisingly dark attempt at replicating the Star Wars formula that helps illuminate why Disney ended up being so dead set on buying actual Star Wars.
Performer of the Year (2020): Chadwick Boseman
By Ciara Wardlow · Published on December 25th, 2020 This article is part of our 2020 Rewind. Follow along as we explore the best and most interesting movies, shows, performances, and more from this very strange year. In this entry, we bow down to Chadwick Boseman and explain, although it may seem obvious, why he’s our performer of the year for 2020. Chadwick Boseman was a hero, and he also played one in the movies.
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