Egon Bondy (Zbyněk Fišer) was a poet, philosopher, Marxist, and important figure in 20th-century history. This well-known Prague prominent, who in his heyday famously lived on Nerudova Street, is noted for having led a double life: serving as an informant and frequent collaborator for the state police while also maintaining his position as an influential personality in the Czechoslovak underground. His legacy still carries with it a number of ambiguities, controversies, and prejudices. Some still demand he be condemned for his “ratting on the righteous.” Others stress the importance of his philosophical work, despite his seditious existence. The image of Egon Bondy in this documentary gives a playful nod to this ambivalent interpretation. Creators are frequently attracted to his powerful personality and still work to understand his complex worldview.
Ben Affleck leads The Way Back, a seemingly cathartic film for him after the actor’s recent bouts with alcoholism and rehab. He plays Jack, a man fighting his own battles who happens upon coaching a boys’ basketball team, the same team he once played for back in high school.
As a huge fan of Sean Baker’s Tangerine, The Florida Project, and Red Rocket, I’ve wanted to watch Anora since before it even was released. But life got in the way, my watchlist grew, and honestly, the fact that it was marketed as a romantic comedy put me off. Even with all the critical praise and the five Academy Awards it won last year, I just kept postponing it indefinitely.
The Noel Diary is about a man who unlocks an old diary containing secrets of the past.
Meander, released in 2021, is a French gory horror film featuring a woman trapped in small spaces as she fights for her life, paralleling real pandemic life.
Women who pray together, play together. Very rarely would I describe a story about a group of punk rockers as “whimsical”, but such an engaging array of visual and comedic components make this stand-out new series the star that it is.
I didn’t love Expecting Amy, the mini-series following Amy Schumer’s pregnancy, but it brought up a lot of great unspoken side-effects of working and growing a human in America.
