Sundance Film Festival Review: ‘Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia’
“The film may seem purposeless at first, but eventually it reveals itself to be a portrait of the proud insanity of Florida, one that feels eminently authentic.”
Bill Bria
Sundance Film Festival Review: Josephine Decker’s ‘Shirley’
“‘Shirley’ is not just a film about the pain and struggle of creativity for all artists, but about women particularly.”
Sundance Film Festival Review: Josh Ruben’s ‘Scare Me’
“‘Scare Me’ takes a while to get going, awkwardly finding its footing through its opening scenes, but when it settles into the long night of storytelling in the cabin, Ruben’s debut feature becomes a total delight.”
Sundance Film Festival Review: Eliza Hittman’s ‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’
“‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’ is an abortion drama that is so grounded in reality, so meticulous in its details, that it becomes one of the most moving and insightful movies made on the subject.”
Interview: Director Noah Lerner on Murray Lerner’s ‘Festival’
Bill Bria Interviews Noah Lerner About Murray Lerner’s 1967 Documentary Festival!
Review: Alex Gibney’s ‘Citizen K’
“There’s no telling the story of Khodorkovsky without telling the story of Russia, and it’s for that reason that ‘Citizen K’ is rather invaluable to people like this writer, Americans of a certain age who perhaps aren’t well versed in Russian history.”
Review: Todd Haynes’ ‘Dark Waters’
“‘Dark Waters’ may have a downbeat climax, to the degree that may not be considered a climax at all, yet it’s a film made to inspire action, to underline the idea that this crisis is a modern one — it’s still happening, and it’s not resolved.”
New York Film Festival Review: Edward Norton’s ‘Motherless Brooklyn’
“‘Motherless Brooklyn’ may not be a sterling example of traditional noir, but its subtext is gripping in its own way. The victim of this crime story isn’t a dead man or a damsel in distress, but the spirit of a city.”
Review: Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Parasite’
“‘Parasite’ takes a left turn that’s so hard yet so appropriate that it’s like watching a spectacularly executed high wire act.”
Review: Issa López’s ‘Tigers Are Not Afraid’
“What ‘Tigers Are Not Afraid’ doesn’t contain in terms of deep characters and real-world specificity, it makes up for with its supernatural elements, allowing its allegory to resonate.”
Review: Tilman Singer’s ‘Luz’
“‘Luz’ may be a distancing film, but it’s ultimately a fascinating and genuinely creepy one, forging as it does a bold new vision for the tired old demon possession movie, taking a cue from the demons of the subgenre and putting new life into its subject.”
The “Happy” Endings of Ari Aster’s Cult Horror Duology
“If part of the horror genre’s mission is to elicit fear through the erosion of safety, then the endings of ‘Hereditary’ and ‘Midsommar’ are the ultimate expression of that mission.”
The Monsters Are Loose: Grief and Regret in A.T. White’s ‘Starfish’
“Many ‘Starfish’ reviews pick up on the film’s unmistakable exploration of grief, but just as many neglect to mention the other half of White’s semi-autobiographical work and its reckoning with guilt and regret.”
Tribeca Film Festival Review: Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia’s ‘Initials SG’
“Attieh and Garcia have ironically made a movie that metatextually gives Sergio the respect he doesn’t deserve. If he were real, he’d be absolutely thrilled to be the star of a movie that’s so unique, and so genuinely cool.”
Tribeca Film Festival Review: Tanya Wexler’s ‘Buffaloed’
“No one in ‘Buffaloed’ shines brighter than Deutch, who gives a performance that will completely redefine her as an actress.”
Rogue Cops, Rogue Cars: The Films of Philip D’Antoni
“Just like his protagonists, D’Antoni refused to play by the rules, and he got results.”
Review: Harmony Korine’s ‘The Beach Bum’
“‘The Beach Bum’ is undoubtedly Harmony Korine’s friendliest movie, as the filmmaker tones down his Jean-Luc Godard meets John Waters envelope-pushing tendencies and alienating techniques, yet there’s still a lot of edge to be found in the film.”
‘Unbreakable’ and the Horror of Superheroes
“As a recurring visual motif in ‘Unbreakable’ illustrates, sometimes all it takes to do something new is by turning things upside down and gaining a different perspective.”
‘Scrooged’ Is Still the Most Modern ‘Christmas Carol’
“‘Scrooged’ carries on Dickens’ themes and message in a way that speaks the most directly and urgently to its audience, teaching that “the miracle” of giving can happen to all of us, at any time. Provided, of course, we can turn off the TV for just long enough.”
Leave Them Kids Alone: The Subversive Commentary of ‘The Faculty’
“‘The Faculty’ adds a wrinkle to its parasitic creature that sets it apart from most alien assimilation stories, one that is closely tied with the film’s setting and teenage viewpoint.”