Jonathan Christian, Author at The Playlist

‘Akilla’s Escape’: A Mythological Crime Thriller With Strong Ambitions And Weak Execution [TIFF Review]

September 12, 2020 10:30 pm

No one ever outruns their past. Momentary reprieves might mark your journey, but history always wins in the end. Akilla Brown knows this better than most. At the age of 15, Akilla (played by Thamela Mpumlwana)...

‘Apples’ Merges Isolation, Loneliness, And Love Into An Endearing Pandemic Dramedy [Venice Review]

Jonathan Christian

September 3, 2020 12:41 pm

Festivals, News, Reviews

In a post-COVID-19 world, ruminating upon memories seems like an everyday occasion—reflecting on the ways that that civilization functioned before the impact of an unforeseen global pandemic that robbed the gl...

‘Lingua Franca’ Is A Sensual But Simplistic Examination Of Identity And Immigration [Review]

Jonathan Christian

August 28, 2020 2:26 pm

News, Reviews

As a film that documents the plight of an undocumented Filipina transwoman living in the United States, Isabel Sandoval’s “Lingua Franca” embodies the fresh face of cinema in 2020. As the first year of a new d...

‘The Pale Door’: A Disorganized Mix of Western Archetypes And Horror Clichés [Review]

Jonathan Christian

August 21, 2020 4:16 pm

News, Reviews

Horror westerns are hard to come by these days. Although contemporary outings like “Bone Tomahawk” and “The Wind” earned their fair share of critical praise and audience approval upon release, blending superna...

‘Son Of The White Mare’: A Psychedelic, Animated Adventure Beyond The Realms Of Imagination [Review]

Jonathan Christian

August 21, 2020 1:02 pm

News, Reviews

As a genre fueled by the fantastic, colorful, and absurd, animation stretches storytelling beyond the realm of reality and logic. Although every genre, cartoon-related or otherwise, has been subjected to sanit...

‘Apocalypse ‘45’ Captures the Horrors Of World War II With Unforgettable, Heartbreaking Images [Review]

Jonathan Christian

August 16, 2020 4:57 pm

News, Reviews

World War II does not require a formal introduction. The worldwide conflict claimed approximately 75 million lives from 1939 to 1945, and its ramifications continue to affect the nations involved decades later...

Family Romance, LLC: Werner Herzog’s Rent-A-Family Drama Never Finds Its Way Home [Review]

Jonathan Christian

July 3, 2020 11:49 am

News, Reviews

The need for connection lingers in every human heart. Marriages and friendships both stem from the inherent desire to connect with another person, but no other relationship affects the human experience more th...

‘7500’: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Shines In A Tense, Claustrophobic Thriller That Proves Less Is More [Review]

Jonathan Christian

June 18, 2020 9:00 am

News, Reviews

The day begins like any other. Veteran pilot Tobias Ellis (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) sits down in the cockpit of a plane flying out of Berlin without a care in the world. He runs through the flight checklist, make...

‘Aviva’: An Entrancing, Dance-Driven Experiment That Struts Into Self-Indulgence [Review]

Jonathan Christian

June 15, 2020 4:00 pm

News, Reviews

Around 57 minutes into Boaz Yakin’s dance-driven romantic drama “Aviva,” the film’s protagonist looks straight into the camera and says, “Fuck consistency and tone.” The reason for his outburst? He’s addressin...

‘You Don’t Nomi’ Examines The Blurry Line Between The Genius & Tragedy Of ‘Showgirls’ [Review]

Jonathan Christian

June 8, 2020 3:45 pm

News, Reviews

By and large, “Is ‘Showgirls’ a good movie?” might be one of the most unanswerable questions posed to our current generation. Aside from “What is the purpose of mankind?” or “Where do we go after we die?” the ...

‘In Search of Kundun’: A Deep Dive into Martin Scorsese’s Unsung Masterpiece [Review]

Jonathan Christian

May 17, 2020 1:39 pm

News, Reviews

Most film buffs do not casually drop “Kundun” into everyday conversation. Even if cinephiles were assigned to rank the most overlooked films of Martin Scorsese’s career, “Bringing Out the Dead,” “After Hours,”...

‘Kokoloko’: Gerardo Naranjo’s Feverish Follow-Up To ‘Miss Bala’ Falls Flat [Tribeca Review]

Jonathan Christian

April 29, 2020 2:40 pm

Festivals, News, Reviews

Everyone enjoys a director’s comeback movie because when they are good, they are typically great. After stumbling for a period, Paul Schrader bounced back with “First Reformed.” George Miller proved that seque...

‘Pray Away’: Kristine Stolakis’ Doc Is One Of The Most Important Films Of The Year [Tribeca Review]

Jonathan Christian

April 29, 2020 2:07 pm

Festivals, News, Reviews

Confronting the topic of conversion therapy in a film requires a remarkable amount of delicacy. Within the fictional side of cinema, films like “Boy Erased” and “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” which both s...

Paul Mescal, Daisy Edgar Jones, Normal People

‘Normal People’: A Genuine But Seriously Problematic Romance [Review]

Jonathan Christian

April 25, 2020 3:15 pm

Features, News, Reviews, Television

Every once in a while, there arrives a piece of entertainment—be it a film or TV show—that makes you stop and think, “Something about this isn’t right.” On the surface, all the pieces seemed to be set in place...

‘How To Fix A Drug Scandal’: A Sterilized Tale Of Addiction & Corruption In America [Review]

Jonathan Christian

April 2, 2020 1:45 pm

News, Reviews, Television

No one grows up with the aspirations of becoming a drug addict. Yet, for countless individuals across the United States, that nightmare morphs into a reality, an eternal consequence arising from a moment of we...

Author Jonathan Christian