Articles by Robert Bell

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  Carol

  Todd Haynes

  PUBLISHED Dec 10, 2015

  Historically, Todd Haynes has been a very cold director. He uses distancing techniques and stylistic diversions to reflect the context thro...

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  I Smile Back

  Adam Salky

  PUBLISHED Dec 3, 2015

  In Adam Salky's I Smile Back, Sarah Silverman plays Laney Brooks, a (mostly) happily married mother of two with a tendency to fuck her good...

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  Downhill Racer

  Michael Ritchie

  PUBLISHED Dec 1, 2015

  When Michael Ritchie's feature directorial debut, Downhill Racer, hit American theatres in late 1969, it didn't fare very well. Critics rec...

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  James White

  Josh Mond

  PUBLISHED Nov 26, 2015

  On paper, Josh Mond's directorial debut, James White, doesn't seem like much. Like many New York-based independent films, it's a dialogue-h...

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  American Ultra

  Nima Nourizadeh

  PUBLISHED Nov 24, 2015

  Nima Nourizadeh's American Ultra attempts to wear many hats. It was marketed as a stoner comedy, sharing a campaign aesthetic with the admi...

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  Shaun the Sheep Movie

  Mark Burton & Richard Starzak

  PUBLISHED Nov 24, 2015

  The thing about a movie like Shaun the Sheep is that the primary audience is already embedded. The mischievous titular sheep and his dialog...

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  Man Up

  Ben Palmer

  PUBLISHED Nov 19, 2015

  In general terms, the romantic comedy has become stagnant. The genre is synonymous with schmaltz and a farcical, arguably irresponsible, pr...

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  The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

  Guy Ritchie

  PUBLISHED Nov 17, 2015

  With Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law being preoccupied with other projects, there was a franchise void for populist late summer adult sleut...