You Must Be THIS OLD to Ride in George A. Romero’s ‘The Amusement Park’
“Romero’s movies have a workshop feel to them, which elevates the horror to a startlingly realistic terror as if it was being documented live.”
Interview with ‘Picasso’ Filmmaker Abhijeet Warang
Dipankar Sarkar Interviews ‘Picasso’ Filmmaker Abhijeet Warang
The Art of the Score: David Mamet’s ‘Heist’
The Art of the Score #1: Blake Howard on David Mamet’s ‘Heist’
Review: George A. Romero’s ‘The Amusement Park’
“‘The Amusement Park’ may not be Romero’s angriest film, but it’s one of his most deliberately disturbing…”
Review: John Krasinski’s ‘A Quiet Place Part II’
“‘A Quiet Place Part II’ depicts quietness as a strength, and the film’s release shows that the quietness of the past year can be resolved through the mutable, powerful sensibilities of cinema.”
The Metaphorical and Elusive Camera of ‘The Disciple’
“‘The Disciple’ can be highly rewarding if one notices and appreciates its technical brilliance. Criticizing the film for its slow pace and aloof camerawork is akin to labeling classical music as boring and tedious.”
Review: Robert Connolly’s ‘The Dry’
“‘The elements of ‘The Dry’ may be conventional, but the presentation, as well as Connolly’s attunement to very real concerns, still burns.”
Why There Is Value and Not Excess in the Extreme Misery of Ulrich Seidl’s ‘Dog Days’
“Seidl has produced many scenes of lengthy sexual humiliation or nasty perversion, but they are stories of the world that are drawn from the horrible truth of human behaviour.”
Review: Gia Coppola’s ‘Mainstream’
“Coppola may generalize in ‘Mainstream,’ but her specifications are plenty insightful and perhaps truthful.”
Rose Glass Makes a Memorable Feature Debut with ‘Saint Maud’
“Sure, ‘Saint Maud’ can be called a horror film, but it is equally a psychological drama that gets a lot of mileage from a tried and true trope: the shifting power dynamics in a superior/subordinate relationship.”
Review: Julia von Heinz’s ‘And Tomorrow the Entire World’
“For all the activists’ fevered activity, ‘And Tomorrow the Entire World’ completely sidesteps the exploration of political ideas and ideology beyond the simple urge to thump Nazis or argue with racists.”
Netflix Review: Joe Wright’s ‘The Woman in the Window’
“While Wright’s stylized execution is impressive, ‘The Woman in the Window’ is a yarn that never fully grabs its audience by the jugular.”
Trapped in the Bed Frame: On Marco Bellocchio’s ‘Devil in the Flesh’
“Bellocchio’s 1986 film ‘Devil in the Flesh’ is perfectly representative of the great Italian director’s outlook.”
Netflix Review: Alexandre Aja’s ‘Oxygen’
“Oxygen’s relevance strikes like lightning in a year when time is measured less by Earth’s tilt and more by first wave, second wave, red phase, yellow phase; not by time passing daily, but by how much danger remains in the room.”
Review: Ben Sharrock’s ‘Limbo’
“Ben Sharrock’s entracing new film ‘Limbo’ is a perceptive and earnest work.”
Netflix Review: Anthony Mandler’s ‘Monster’
“‘Monster’ seems like it doesn’t trust itself to connect with viewers without over-explanation.”
Review: Alexis Cahill and Brigitte Drodtloff’s ‘Queen Marie’
“‘Queen Marie’ may not be a modern historical classic, but its wink-of-the-eye moments subtly inform the audience about the filmmakers’ intent. That, I can appreciate.”
Review: Karl Holt’s ‘Benny Loves You’
“Taking its cues from the later Chucky movies, ‘Benny Loves You’ embraces the inherent insanity of the premise, setting it free in a similar manner to how the titular toy runs riot.”
Monte Hellman: A Master of the Language of Cinema
Author Joseph B. Atkins on Filmmaker Monte Hellman’s Life and Career
Review: Chaitanya Tamhane’s ‘The Disciple’
“Without being judgmental, ‘The Disciple’ succeeds in questioning the age-old notion of sacrifice as a means to attaining higher goals.”