Like the Turning Red review by the same author, this is 4% movie review and 96% cultural criticism - which makes the letter grade a bit gauche, no?

“She seems to believe her western truth is better than our traditional western truth”

Or arguably it’s Phil Burbank’s assumption of what a real cowboy does. Most of the other characters do not. George Burbank certainly doesn’t. It’s almost like that whole aesthetic might have been part of the point.

And people get to respond when someone says something stupid and gross like this

I think there’s a difference between making jokes about a movie and humorlessly disparaging the message a movie’s trying to make.

Sweeney wasn’t the only one who was uncomfortable with nude scenes. Though I think everyone still says they’re allowed to veto such scenes.

Or, almost as bad, he’s one of those bosses who don’t take breaks so they think their employees—who make a fraction of their salary—shouldn’t either.

Yes, God forbid the little people earning a wage get treated with dignity and respect. I guarantee Sam Levinson was getting all the breaks he needed. 

Cassie cannot just be a villain with no exploration of how she got here.

This dismissal of Jules plays into and gives validity to the hatred that she receives from the audience that is due to transphobia.

At the risk of self-indulgence, I’m gonna pop down here for whoever is poking around in the comments section to say that this is my last A.V. Club review. (I believe that’s the case for everyone writing an A.V. Club movie review this week.) This is really more of a farewell-toned piece, ICYMI:

Have you seen Robert Pattinson in any non-Twilight movies?

I assume this is another casualty of the great resignation.

I am so sad this column is coming to an end. I love that it’s a serious analysis of a lot of films which often get overlooked or treated with disdain, and there’s been a good mix of classics I’ve seen, underrated gems I want to see, and some really terrible pieces of work. Another one bites the dust...

There’s a fairly famous line where Elizabeth declines to join Darcy, Hurst & Miss Bingley on a walk with the excuse that the three of them make a picturesque grouping and the lovely effect would be ruined by adding a fourth, which comes from William Gilpin’s advice on sketching cattle in the landscape:

I think some people might need to check out Alex Garland on IMDb.

I feel like there are plenty examples of men in that type of role. Watching the Netflix series Archive 81 with my wife right now, and that’s exactly what it is.

I don’t get the cynicism about this. Lonely women freaking out is a loud and proud tradition in horror, and as annoying as the “actually it’s about trauma” thing can be it can still be compelling. A24 doesn’t direct these movies, after all--the directors do, and this one has a strong track record.

I would have knocked out Don’t Look Up and put either Spencer or Zola.

Here to stump for For a Good Time, Call!