Tesla de-claws the myth of the angry male genius who is simultaneously punished and celebrated by society as a superior being. Almereyda’s Tesla is instead portrayed as a bundle of neuroses whose naive utopian ideals are as much the key to his downfall as they are to his genius.

To simply rattle off the movies I enjoyed, and the reasons why, would be too safe and too shallow. What follows is not a list of my favorite movies this year but rather an examination of one obvious, omnipresent theme: desperation.

Staring into the realm of existential horror can actually be quite liberating, and there’s no surer cure for deep-rooted anxiety than fully embracing nihilism and toasting the end of the world. Join me as we take a closer look at First Reformed, Arlington Road and In The Intense Now / No Intenso Agora.

Interview with director Robert Budreau on Born to be Blue, jazz, and being true to the spirit of Chet Baker.