Thomas Merzlak

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13 Oscar nominations is 13 too many for 'Emilia Pérez'

2 months ago | thetigercu.com | Caroline Block |Thomas Merzlak

Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” which was recently nominated for an obscene 13 Academy Awards, is a fascinating movie largely because of how bad it is. Even discounting its myriad thematic issues, the movie is tonally confused, poorly structured and a chore to sit through. The film follows Rita, a guilt-ridden lawyer played by Zoe Saldaña, who takes on a secretive but wealthy client.
The best movies of 2024

Jan 16, 2025 | thetigercu.com | Abigail Suggs |Thomas Merzlak

More so than any other year in recent memory, I felt completely disconnected from the general moviegoing audience in 2024. The big studio blockbusters I liked underperformed, while the ones I hated or was ambivalent to grossed billions of dollars. Even some of the year’s more outré or obscure hits, like “The Substance,” left me unsatisfied. It also doesn’t help that many of 2024’s most acclaimed films — among them “The Brutalist,” “The Shrouds” and “No Other Land” — have yet to be widely released.
'Wicked' sounds good but looks bad

Dec 5, 2024 | thetigercu.com | Abigail Suggs |Thomas Merzlak

In a recent article, Variety awards writer Clayton Davis attempted to predict which five lucky individuals will be nominated for best director at the 2025 Academy Awards. Among his predictions are some, like “Anora” auteur Sean Baker, that did in fact do great work this year. Also on the list is Jon M. Chu, director of “Wicked.”Chu is a fascinating choice for the best director award, given that everything that works about “Wicked” seems to be doing so in spite of his ill-considered guidance.
Chronicle release event releases board game fun

Nov 21, 2024 | thetigercu.com | Abigail Suggs |Thomas Merzlak

Clemson students filed into the Barnes Center on Nov. 15 to celebrate the launch of The Chronicle’s fall 2024 issue. Clemson’s oldest student publication filled its board game-inspired magazine with multimedia contributions from contributors from various different backgrounds. For the release event, the Chronicle staff filled the Barnes Center with board games and encouraged attendees to dress as their favorite Clue characters.
Merzlak: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a terrible choice for public health

Nov 14, 2024 | thetigercu.com | Thomas Merzlak

Shortly before winning reelection, President-elect Donald Trump offered onetime campaign rival Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “control of the public health agencies.” The possibility of a Kennedy led Health Administration, which is now more of an inevitability, immediately raised concern amongst public health professionals, scientists and activists.
'Conclave' is 2024's silliest election movie

Nov 14, 2024 | thetigercu.com | Thomas Merzlak

The term “Oscar bait” is thrown around carelessly in film discussions, applied to essentially any movie that doesn’t have Batman in it. It’s become such a broad classification that it sometimes seems uselessHowever, in its purest form, it describes a particular sensibility that’s difficult to define but impossible to miss. Edward Berger’s “Conclave,” in theaters now, is one of the most perfect Oscar-bait movies I have seen in years.
'Challengers' is still the best movie of 2024

Oct 24, 2024 | thetigercu.com | Thomas Merzlak

Near the end of Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers,” Mike Faist’s disgruntled tennis pro Art Donaldson tosses the ball into the air. This in and of itself is unremarkable — it’s a tennis movie, and there are plenty of shots of guys throwing the ball — but in this case, the camera follows the ball, pauses for a split second and then becomes the ball.
LCD Soundsystem still haven't lost their edge

Oct 22, 2024 | thetigercu.com | Thomas Merzlak

LCD Soundsystem’s entire career has been an exercise in irony. Disgruntled producer and DJ James Murphy, annoyed with the way his music career had stalled in his thirties, wrote the group’s deadpan debut single “Losing My Edge” on a whim, expressing his frustration at “the kids coming up from behind” over a driving bass and percussion groove.
'Megalopolis' is insane - The Tiger

Oct 10, 2024 | thetigercu.com | Mercedes Dubberly |Thomas Merzlak

In the second scene of Francis Ford Coppola’s long-gestating magnum opus “Megalopolis,” protagonist Cesar Catalina stumbles onto a scaffold, towers over a model city and manically recites the entire “to be, or not to be” soliloquy from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” Adam Driver delivers the legendary monologue with absolute conviction, and Giancarlo Esposito’s Mayor Frank Cicero reacts with rueful derision. It is a microcosm of the movie: fascinating, beautifully presented and absolutely baffling.
'The Substance' is strange, gross and frustrating

Sep 26, 2024 | thetigercu.com | Thomas Merzlak

Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance,” now in theaters via Mubi, opens with a card touting its Best Screenplay win at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. The movie that follows led me to call the Cannes jury members’ judgment into question. “The Substance” is not a terrible movie, I don’t think, but its screenplay is its greatest weakness.