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“Everything I learned I learned from the movies.” 
― Audrey Hepburn

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  • Paul Carlson
Escape Into Film
'The Trip to Greece' film review: One last impression-filled getaway with Coogan & Brydon
May 21

May 21 'The Trip to Greece' film review: One last impression-filled getaway with Coogan & Brydon

Paul Carlson

This fourth and apparently final entry in this low-key brilliant series is more of the same hallmark silly banter, delectable food porn and wanderlust-inducing vistas that define the 'Trip' movies. And that’s not a bad thing.

'Supa Modo' film review: Inspiring, heartbreaking take on dying & living
May 13

May 13 'Supa Modo' film review: Inspiring, heartbreaking take on dying & living

Paul Carlson
film festivals, film reviews

The death of a child is one of the toughest subjects any film can broach, but this Kenyan family drama handles the topic with uncommon grace, genuine sweetness and emotional sincerity.

'Vanilla' film review: Road trip, first-date indie flick is familiar yet refreshing
Apr 28

Apr 28 'Vanilla' film review: Road trip, first-date indie flick is familiar yet refreshing

Paul Carlson
film reviews

This indie road trip rom-com has the refreshing confidence to not exactly fit into any one particularly-shaped bucket.

'Olympic Dreams' film review: Wistful, charming dramedy with a heart of Olympic gold
Feb 27

Feb 27 'Olympic Dreams' film review: Wistful, charming dramedy with a heart of Olympic gold

Paul Carlson
film festivals, film reviews

The sheer audacity of filming on location during the Olympic Games alone makes this indie winner a filmmaking feat.

'The Assistant' film review: Weinstein-inspired story disturbs, chills
Feb 26

Feb 26 'The Assistant' film review: Weinstein-inspired story disturbs, chills

Paul Carlson
film reviews

Film fans: this is an urgent reminder to not forget Julia Garner's understated and gripping performance in this timely and necessary indie drama.

'The Lodge' film review: Isolation drama gives way to lazy high-concept horror
Feb 21

Feb 21 'The Lodge' film review: Isolation drama gives way to lazy high-concept horror

Paul Carlson
film reviews

Despite an intriguing horror premise, this horror drama starts out with a novel idea but resorts to lazy cliches to force its “creepy” mandate.

'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' film review: Simmering romance taps into the inequity of options for women
Feb 18

Feb 18 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' film review: Simmering romance taps into the inequity of options for women

Paul Carlson
film festivals, film reviews

This French romance harkens back to an era of exquisitely crafted works of cinema - a beautiful work in every sense of the word that stands as one of the great films of 2019.

'Downhill' film review: Rudderless remake that didn't need to be made
Feb 13

Feb 13 'Downhill' film review: Rudderless remake that didn't need to be made

Paul Carlson
film reviews

Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell fail to justify why an already incredible Swedish film was remade at all.

'Weathering with You' film review: 'Your Name' director affirms his place in modern anime
Jan 13

Jan 13 'Weathering with You' film review: 'Your Name' director affirms his place in modern anime

Paul Carlson
film reviews

Somehow firmly rooted in a living, breathing Tokyo - yet somehow still perfectly magical, this animated fantasy is a rich work wrapped around a story that drifts a bit.

'Little Women' film review: Gerwig's update is an exquisite jewel of 2019 cinema
Dec 18

Dec 18 'Little Women' film review: Gerwig's update is an exquisite jewel of 2019 cinema

Paul Carlson
film reviews

Writer-director Greta Gerwig has managed the impossible: breathing new, revitalizing life into the 150-year-old classic family drama, making this timeless story feel absolutely current and lively.

'Bombshell' film review: Theron, Robbie power this unsettling sexual harassment exposé
Dec 17

Dec 17 'Bombshell' film review: Theron, Robbie power this unsettling sexual harassment exposé

Paul Carlson
film reviews

Charlize Theron asserts her place among the great film performances of 2019 in this gripping true story of power dynamics and sexual harassment.

Escape Into Film nominations for 2019 Seattle Film Critics Society Awards
Dec 6

Dec 6 Escape Into Film nominations for 2019 Seattle Film Critics Society Awards

Paul Carlson
film reviews

My nominations for this year's SFCS movie awards: 47 films nominated across 20 categories - from Best Villain to Best Picture.

'A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood' film review: Hanks as Mister Rogers is ... fine
Nov 21

Nov 21 'A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood' film review: Hanks as Mister Rogers is ... fine

Paul Carlson
film reviews

The most surprising aspect of this biographical drama is just how tangential Fred Rogers is to this story - but this is less about the famed TV host and more about his approach to life.

'Ford v Ferrari' film review: V-8 powered American exceptionalism
Nov 14

Nov 14 'Ford v Ferrari' film review: V-8 powered American exceptionalism

Paul Carlson
film reviews

Perhaps the best pair of performances in a 2019 film and breathtaking race sequences ...brilliantly obscure the fact that this race car docudrama is anemic in plot and conflict.

'Greener Grass' film review: Wickedly sharp, absurd comedy satirizes life in the suburbs
Oct 16

Oct 16 'Greener Grass' film review: Wickedly sharp, absurd comedy satirizes life in the suburbs

Paul Carlson
film reviews, film festivals

With its color saturation cranked up all the way, this dark comedy takes coveting the banalities of suburban life to a nightmarish, hyperbolic degree.

'Honey Boy' film review: Cathartic, personal drama fails to resonate
Oct 13

Oct 13 'Honey Boy' film review: Cathartic, personal drama fails to resonate

Paul Carlson
film reviews, film festivals

Make no mistake about it, this profoundly raw drama is the Shia LaBeouf story written by LaBeouf and starring LaBeouf.

'Mister America' film review: Heidecker fans: rejoice! Everyone else: pass.
Oct 7

Oct 7 'Mister America' film review: Heidecker fans: rejoice! Everyone else: pass.

Paul Carlson
film festivals, film reviews

"Wouldn't it be funny if there was a movie about an accused murderer running for district attorney?" No, apparently it would not be funny - submitted as evidence is the toothless, lazy satirical mockumentary.

'Judy' film review: Zellweger's towering turn is worthy the legendary icon
Oct 3

Oct 3 'Judy' film review: Zellweger's towering turn is worthy the legendary icon

Paul Carlson
film reviews

The three-time Academy Award nominee delivers a triumphant, career-best performance as the famed, troubled performer.

'The Infiltrators' film review: Riveting docudrama takes on immigration detainment, deportation
Oct 3

Oct 3 'The Infiltrators' film review: Riveting docudrama takes on immigration detainment, deportation

Paul Carlson
film festivals, film reviews

Part gripping documentary and part prison thriller, this immigration rights drama puts a laser focus on one of the most urgent hot-button issues of today: the detaining and deportation of undocumented people.

'Joker' film review: Haunting, bleak unraveling of an outcast turned iconic maniac
Oct 2

Oct 2 'Joker' film review: Haunting, bleak unraveling of an outcast turned iconic maniac

Paul Carlson
film reviews

The most terrifying aspect of "Joker" is not that he becomes an iconic supervillain, but the terrifyingly grounded and totally normal bad turns that transform an invisible man into society’s worst nightmare.

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““No subject is terrible if the story is true, if the prose is clean and honest, and if it affirms courage and grace under pressure.””
— "Midnight in Paris"

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