“In contemporary queer cinema, there isn’t a work like ‘The Visitor’ that’s even dared to tackle the wider-ranging relationships between disadvantaged communities on the receiving end of society’s scorn.”
“Perkins’ fondness for dark comedy has seen him regress as a filmmaker between projects by over-indulging in offbeat, irritatingly quirky laughs to the detriment of his horror storytelling.”
“If the aim of ‘Sweet Talkin’ Guy’ was to function as an intervention for single men everywhere, then Miss Dylan and Spencer Wardwell couldn’t have done the job better.”
“‘The Most Precious of Cargoes’ may be illuminating for younger viewers at face value for how it doesn’t shy away from the horrors of war from a survivor’s perspective…”
“‘Bye Bye Love’ is very enjoyable, but its central story is neither as involving or as subversive as it perceives itself to be when leaving the frankness of its bedroom scenes behind.”
“By its very nature, ‘Nosferatu’ is a pessimistic story, which might be why the biggest surprise of Eggers’ take is that it’s his most accessible effort to date.”
“‘The Brutalist’ may appear like an inaccessible art picture from the outside, but it moves with an energy that ensures the casual viewer will never be daunted by its epic stature…”
“‘Me, Myself & the Void’ was clearly made with passion and enthusiasm, but none of Hautekiet’s efforts can stop the mystery from feeling like it’s dragging its heels towards an obvious conclusion…”
“‘Tokyo Uber Blues’ is best when it works as a borderline psychodramatic character study…”
“There are moments of richness in ‘The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,’ but they only materialize when Ree allows his tale to be told from the only truly lived-in perspective.”
“‘Heretic’ is the thinking man’s dumb horror movie of the year.”
“‘Nightbitch’ is all empty message and no provocation, its few shots of a fully transformed protagonist shocking only because of how little effort was made beyond giving Adams some contact lenses…”
“For my money, Jean-Baptiste gives one of the strongest performances in Leigh’s oeuvre, afforded the space to go ‘big’ in ‘Hard Truths’ without ever feeling like she’s commanding a self-aggrandizing actor’s showcase.”
“Natalie Erika James manages to follow a near-identical narrative formula to ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ but without the sense of genuine danger. A story that should retain its prescience is rendered nothing more than nostalgia bait.”
“‘The Substance’ feels weirdly outdated, despite the writer-director’s many provocative attempts to demonstrate how misogyny and ageism play out in contemporary media.”
“For a filmmaker who made his name with two hyper-violent thrillers that triggered some queasy walkouts on the festival circuit, the character-driven moments in ‘Rebel Ridge’ feel like an evolution for Saulnier.”
“With ‘Between the Temples,’ Silver shows an awareness of dramedy cliches and takes great pleasure in making the audience’s skin crawl each time the narrative takes a sharp left turn from expectations.”
“‘The Outrun’ feels lacking in the specificity that makes for rewarding character drama.”
“If ‘Kneecap’ was merely the first ‘edgy’ comedy in years with gags as shocking as they are laugh-out-loud hysterical, that would be enough to recommend it.”
“In just her second film, Kapadia has become one of the most exciting directors working today. I doubt Cannes will be as quick to write off the cinema of India in her wake.”