“A distinctly Ghibli feel pervades ‘The Boy and the Heron,’ which more comprehensively and ambitiously connects the studio’s interests than ever before — in whimsy and poignancy, struggle and adventure, the serious and the magical.”
“Children and adults are complex; they behave differently depending on who they are with, performing various roles to survive. ‘Monster’ underlines this lesson by masterfully harmonizing writing, performance, cinematography, sound and more.”
“The differences between the equally impressive ‘The Assistant’ and ‘The Royal Hotel’ prove that there is more room for subversive thrillers directed by Green.”
“At its core, ‘The Bear’ season 2 is about different modes of refurbishment, for which the central effort to revamp the restaurant acts as a framing metaphor.”
“The awareness of complicity in an institutional problem brings ‘The Fabelmans,’ ‘Babylon’ and ‘Empire of Light’ together.”
“‘We’re All Going to the World’s Fair’ prefers the space between categories. This position facilitates a unique experience of time, much like the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Aster’s short films are at present the best representation of his eclectic taste and elastic interests.”
“Problems do not vanish forever, so ‘I May Destroy You’ is about the constant fight. Repetition becomes revision. Paralysis becomes progress.”
“The lasting effect of Low’s music has never been more present than on ‘HEY WHAT.'”
“At its best, Noah Baumbach’s impressive and thoroughly decent adaptation of ‘White Noise’ interestingly discusses people’s relatable ownership of secrets yet complete inability to internalize them.”
“‘One Fine Morning’ is an exercise in comparatively calm, delicate cinema. It balances serenity with pathos and never strays from realism, in contradistinction to Hansen-Løve’s previous film — the highly metafictional, altogether more playful ‘Bergman Island.'”
“LCD Soundsystem’s enduring legacy has always perhaps been inevitable, not least because of the way that they make music ABOUT legacy, thematically and lyrically.”
“‘Better Call Saul’ is ultimately an interesting case study of adjacency that points to a more sustainable prequel model that television in general might wish to use in future.”
“In ‘Mass’ and ‘The Humans,’ the single location is used as a platform for ideas that seek universal understanding and collective empathy.”
“Black Country, New Road’s ‘Ants from Up There’ feels like a landmark moment in contemporary British alternative rock music.”
“The tension between spectator empathy and necessary critical distance are at the heart of Succession’s mixing pot of antiheroism and amorality, which is all that’s left when its humanism is squandered and its morally redemptive potential falls short.”
“Ducournau’s approach to cinematic lineage and influence in ‘Titane’ is a complicated one, as she develops her singular filmmaking style into something even more evasive and intricate than in ‘Raw.'”
“If Ferris Bueller and his day off resemble something else universal, it is liberation. In the context of the journey, this is best understood as the ability to be in transit.”
