Licorice Pizza weaves a tapestry of inter-connected stories but primarily focuses on its two core protagonists, Alana and Gary, in contrast to PTA's other Valley-set film Boogie Nights, which encompasses more b-story characters. His technical prowess shines here. The tracking, close-up, and extensive wide shots transport you to the valley in the '70s and coat it with nostalgia. It also has heart, and his ability as a filmmaker to seamlessly combine technical and narrative elements is what has consistently placed…

Badlands meets vampires this is an underrated gem from Kathryn Bigelow. Released in the same year as THE LOST BOYS, which likely didn’t do it any favors commercially, i think with the recent criterion treatment it is becoming a cult classic. Bill Paxton’s performance as the villainous vampire gang member is outstanding, and the chemistry between Adrian Pasdar and Jenny Wright is great. The film is beautifully shot, like most of Bigelow’s work, especially the scenes set around dawn and…