Opinion

By JAVIER DOSAMANTESPima Post “Nightmare Alley”Directed by: Guillermo del ToroRating: RRun time: 2 hours, 30 minutesShowing at The Loft Cinema “Film noir” is a term coined by French movie critic Nino Frank to describe a subgenre of detective and mystery movies between the 1940s and 1950s. The term translates directly to "dark" or "black" films. Movies in this genre are literally and figuratively dark: The lighting is dim to create gloom, and shadows are heavily employed to form an atmosphere of mystery. Their overarching themes include murder, double-crossing, pessimism or romantic betrayal. The characters in the genre are cynics motivated by selfishness or pure evil, who embark on an immoral and tragic journey. It's the opposite approach Guillermo del Toro has to his usual ...

By JAVIER DOSAMANTESPima Post “Licorice Pizza”Directed by: Paul Thomas AndersonRating: RRun time: 2 hours, 13 minutesShowing at The Loft Cinema “Paul Thomas Anderson’s new movie is a charming and sweet coming of age story” is a sentence I never thought would be written or said, but that’s what “Licorice Pizza” is. Anderson’s films usually involve scenes with Daniel Day-Lewis throwing bowling balls and pins at a preacher-slash-hustler during the early 20th century oil rush in California. Or drug-induced shootouts in a living room with “Jessie’s Girl” and “99 Red Balloons” playing in the background. “Licorice Pizza,” however, is not a consuming character study nor an intense journey into darkness. It is a fun, hazy and more personal film for the eight-time Oscar-nominated auteur....

By JAVIER DOSAMANTES  “The Power of the Dog”Directed by: Jane CampionRating: RRun time: 2 hours, 6 minutesOpens at The Loft Cinema Dec. 10 and is currently streaming on Netflix In Michael Mann's "Heat," Robert de Niro's character tells his love interest, "I'm alone, I am not lonely."  Throughout "The Power of the Dog," a psychological drama set in the Old West, I kept thinking about that quote. Everyone in this film is not alone, but they are lonely. Nobody's happy where they are, with whom they are, or with whom they are not. One character rejects society and longs for his brother's love in their mentor's absence. Meanwhile, the other brother wants to be accepted by society and rejects their way of life. A widow who terrifyingly coexists with her new brother-in-law ...

By JAVIER DOSAMANTESPima Post “Julia”Directed by: Julie Cohen and Betsy WestRating: PG -13Run time: 1 hour, 35 minutesOpens at The Loft Cinema Nov. 24 Ending parties is a cross between an artform and a sport — it's social gymnastics — and you have to stick the landing.  Everything can go wrong, and if it does, people will remember the end instead of the rest of the festivities. Parties run the risk of going on for too long and plateau, someone can get into a fight or argument, you can start playing the wrong kind of music and people will fall asleep or walk out, etc. Hosts have to perfectly execute the move of telling guests it's over in a way they leave with a smile and good memories.  Party hosts also have to walk the thin line of choosing the right playlist t...