“Roger Ebert once wrote ‘it’s not what a film is about, it’s how it is about it,’ and it’s this phrase that I usually return to when thinking about cinema that deals with humanity’s worst impulses.”
“‘Nina Wu’ isn’t just a ‘#MeToo thriller’ or ‘slow burn cinema,’ it’s a progressive spin on psychological horror and a master class in visceral visual design.”
“The most powerful aspect of ‘Lost Course’ is how it portrays the struggle of the Wukan citizens as a general metaphor for political corruption and the futility of activism.”
Yoana Pavlova Interviews ‘Dad Made Dirty Movies’ Author-Director Jordan Todorov
“One of the great pleasures of watching any Almodóvar film, but especially ‘Julieta,’ is studying its expressionistic textures…”
“What comes to the fore in ‘Labour of Love’ is the difference between hearing and listening.”
“‘Saint Maud’ proves, once again, that horror, and particularly indie horror, provides the opportunity for first timers to take real risks.”
“‘Sator’ is a slow burn, and the payoff for waiting around will not suit everybody. Like ‘Blair Witch,’ it requires your full attention to really make an impact — half-watching while scrolling through Twitter won’t cut it.”
“‘Beanpole’ masters the unseen, the unspoken and the ‘presence of absence’ in the way it unpacks the toll of ongoing armed conflict through a kind of metonymic expression of experience.”
“Benson and Moorhead’s typically dark, cynical tone is well-suited to the material until a too-neat ending tries to retcon ‘Synchronic’ into something else in the most jarring way possible.”
“‘Climate of the Hunter’ is fatally enthralled by its own bizarre, overwrought stylistic tics, from the exaggerated performances aiming squarely for the cheap seats to the Wes Anderson-style PSAs…”
“‘Yalda’ shows itself to be a deft treatise on how the contradictions of our modern world complicate something even as simple as saying sorry.”
“Watching Ahmed flourish without words, typically an actor’s lifeline, is a joy. It’s a massive challenge, and he rises to it with aplomb in ‘Sound of Metal.'”
“Stone, who’s barely in her twenties, is truly exceptional in the lead role. Her naturalistic ‘Honey Bee’ performance is as raw as an exposed nerve.”
Dipankar Sarkar Interviews ‘Dolly Kitty & Those Twinkling Stars’ Filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava
“Spindell pays homage to many horror productions, yet his film is its own uniquely strange, inventive, entertaining and frequently frightening little monster.”
“If Hertzfeldt’s ability to successfully expand on the emotional terrain and metaphysical considerations of previous chapters is a recipe, then he is an impeccable cinematic chef de cuisine.”
“In just 23 minutes, ‘Vader’ presents a nuanced and complex picture of fatherhood, as shaped by both individual personalities and wider social events.”
“‘Murder in the Woods’ is a slight but entertaining offering, sold completely and committedly by a talented cast of fresh, new faces and with a bonus appearance by the always-welcome Danny Trejo to boot.”
Dipankar Sarkar Interviews ‘Tales from Our Childhood’ Director Mukul Haloi