‘Licorice Pizza’
It may not have won Best Picture, but cinephiles should be sure to check out Paul Thomas Anderson’s nostalgic coming-of-age drama, Licorice Pizza, if they haven’t already. It was a controversial nomination this awards season, both because it depicts a romance between a teenage boy and a 25-year-old woman, and because of two scenes that invite audiences to laugh at a Japanese woman’s expense. The latter is absolutely offensive and inexcusable, but the former is, in my humble opinion, handled with appropiate care. The authentic charm of Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman—the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s son—will make you believe in love again, and Anderson’s skill with the camera will remind you why you love cinema. You may just want to fast-forward when you see John Michael Higgins on screen.