3 pieces
Films and TV shows are casting more speaking roles than they can properly serve. An essay on why the ensemble has gotten bloated, what it costs the specific characters inside it, and what tighter casts still do.
Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland's second collaboration rebuilds a 2006 Ramadi engagement from the memories of the men who survived it, and the film's claim on attention is its specific refusal to shape.
Jason Reitman's compressed account of the ninety minutes before the first SNL broadcast is the rare backstage film that trusts the chaos to be its own argument.