“While Springsteen takes the American dream and helps everyone navigate through its dismantling, Chadha packs it all up with ‘Blinded by the Light” and makes it speak to an entirely different country and a whole new generation.”
“Written and directed by Michael K. Feinstein, ‘The Browsing Effect’ highlights the beauty of lasting connections. Despite pressing too hard on social media tropes, the film includes numerous charming performances and genuine laugh-out-loud moments.”
“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.”
“‘Wild Rose’ has the makings of a movie deathly afraid of validating a ‘bad mother,’ even if it comes at the expense of the protagonist’s internal consistency.”
“Some of Avildsen’s men turn to violence. Some of them turn to crime. Some of them turn inward. All of them know that somehow, some way, they must turn. They cannot survive, let alone win, without surrendering some part of themselves.”
“‘Mean Girls’ might be a teenager itself now, but the movie’s popularity continues to grow as a whole new generation falls in love with its cast of crazy characters, messages of inclusion and impressively high joke rate.”
“‘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.”
“‘I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History’ provides historical context of a brutal period not known to many, and facilitates a discussion of Romania’s pro-Nazi involvement in the Second World War. But narratively, Jude’s film achieves little.”
“With a gorgeous vintage sheen across its 4:3 aspect ratio, Sakurai’s short establishes a magical realist land that magnifies the burgeoning diversity of America today – along with all the confusion, preposterousness and sudden violence that comes with it.”
“‘Happy Death Day 2U’ is a light sci-fi movie with the thinnest veneer of horror, and your enjoyment of the film will depend on your willingness to accept its geeky premise and nonexistent scare factor.”
“The presence of Binoche in ‘Let the Sunshine In’ is a bit of brilliance that taunts and challenges the viewer; if Isabelle can’t find lasting, fulfilling tenderness and companionship, what chance do the rest of us have?”
“‘Mid90s’ has drawn some comparisons to Harmony Korine (who makes a cameo in Hill’s film) and Larry Clark’s ‘Kids,’ but Hill’s worldview is far less toxic and dangerous than the grimmest territory explored in the 1995 movie.”
“‘Bodied’ is a blisteringly urgent and inescapably topical meditation on race, class and identity; the kind of movie that could only be told with the panache and in-your-face directness of Kahn.”
“The success of Bo Burnham’s ‘Eighth Grade’ proves that audiences crave the authenticity that’s been lacking for so long, and by providing it, the film ends the stereotypical portrayal of teenagers.”