Contributions from Matthew Eng | Little White Lies

Contributor Matthew Eng

A person wearing camouflage clothing standing next to a black car in a wooded area.
Festivals

2nd Chance – first-look review

by Matthew Eng

Ramin Bahrani’s lat­est is a fit­ful­ly inter­est­ing, by-the-num­bers account of a curi­ous fig­ure on the fringes of Amer­i­can law enforcement.
A man with curly hair and a beard, wearing a patterned sweater, stands in an office setting with another man visible in the background.
Review

Sorry to Bother You

by Matthew Eng

Boots Riley’s sur­re­al­ist vision of cor­po­rate servi­tude is a com­e­dy with plen­ty of willpow­er and zero apologies.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Three young men with curly hair, smiling and embracing each other outdoors.
Review

Three Identical Strangers

by Matthew Eng

Tim War­dle revis­its a ripped-from-the-head­lines phe­nom­e­non in a docu-study full of surprises.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Woman in straw hat reading a book titled "Joan Didion: The White Album" intently.
Review

Ingrid Goes West

by Matthew Eng

Aubrey Plaza plays a very mod­ern kind of anti­heroine in Matt Spicer’s dark­ly com­ic social media satire.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Close-up of a man with a worried expression, looking pensive.
Review

Gilbert

by Matthew Eng

A new doc­u­men­tary about com­ic provo­ca­teur Gilbert Got­tfried is one of the year’s most unex­pect­ed heartwarmers.

2
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Woman smiling and holding a large vintage camera in front of a black and wood-panelled camera equipment.
Review

The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography

by Matthew Eng

This lat­est from doc doyen Errol Mor­ris looks at the life of eccen­tric Amer­i­can por­trait artist Elsa Dorfman.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Iconic musician playing electric guitar on stage, wearing colourful outfit with feather boa.
Film Music

Why Monterey Pop remains the pinnacle of concert movies

by Matthew Eng

DA Pennebaker’s doc­u­men­tary mile­stone remains his­tor­i­cal­ly vital and as brac­ing­ly alive as ever.
Two women making aggressive, hostile facial expressions.
Review

Catfight

by Matthew Eng

Anne Heche and San­dra Oh get aggres­sive in Onur Tukel’s scathing new comedy.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A person wearing a burgundy and white patterned shirt, standing on a sandy beach by the ocean.
In Praise Of

In praise of Annette Bening’s difficult women

by Matthew Eng

From Bugsy to Amer­i­can Beau­ty and now 20th Cen­tu­ry Women, the actor has always rel­ished play­ing char­ac­ters that ask us to look deeper.
Monochrome image showing a group of people, including a woman wearing a pearl necklace and two men wearing sunglasses.
Review

I Am Not Your Negro

by Matthew Eng

James Bald­win reclaims the spot­light in Raoul Peck’s mag­nif­i­cent film essay.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Distorted reflection of a person in a car side mirror, with water droplets on the mirror surface.
Review

Cameraperson

by Matthew Eng

Kirsten Johnson’s visu­al auto­bi­og­ra­phy is a strik­ing and knowl­edge­able account of a life in film.

3
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A well-dressed Black man wearing a suit and tie, gesturing with his hand against a dark, blurred background.
In Praise Of

In praise of Mahershala Ali – 2016’s standout performer

by Matthew Eng

From Luke Cage to Moon­light, the Amer­i­can actor has made a vital con­tri­bu­tion to his craft this year.