On the Capitalist Realism of ‘The Box’
“‘The Box’ elevates the daily minutiae of capitalist cruelty into the science fiction moral framework of a ‘Twilight Zone’ yarn.”
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.”
12 Angry Films: Sidney Lumet on Justice #3 – ‘The Offence’
“For a filmmaker usually so concerned with the social causes of injustice, ‘The Offence’ is remarkably focused on the troubled psychology of its central character.”
FrightFest Review: Pedro C. Alonso’s ‘Feedback’
“From a technical perspective, ‘Feedback’ is extremely potent for long stretches. However, in aspiring to be relevant to current affairs, the film eschews effective simplicity for confused complexity.”
‘Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl’ and the Drawbacks of Nostalgia
weet, Sweet Lonely Girl Movie Essay: Logan Kenny on A.D. Calvo’s 2016 film starring Quinn Shephard and Susan Kellermann.
‘District 9’: Xenophobic Themes Still Resonate a Decade Later
“‘District 9’ might not be a classic like ‘Alien’ or ‘The Terminator’ (not many films are), but it’s still an effective sci-fi film with depth and style.”
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.”
It’s Only a Movie: Audience Complicity in Horror and Exploitation Films
“While it might be easy to assume that films like ‘Natural Born Killers’ and ‘Funny Games’ simply demonise their audiences as wanting the thrill of violence without thinking about the consequence of it, the films instead ask questions, instead of only providing answers.”
Review: Nicolas Winding Refn’s ‘Too Old to Die Young’
“‘Too Old to Die Young’ is rough around the edges, and perhaps deliberately so. It’s almost as if the writers are two brothers in a car fighting between soft rock and techno on the radio.”
The Voluptuous and Telling Pleasures of Obscure Gialli
Julia Bozzone on Quad Cinema’s Fresh Meat: Giallo Restorations, Part Two
VOD Review: Jason B. Kohl’s ‘New Money’
“The questions ‘New Money’ poses are numerous and mostly left unanswered. The film is scattershot at times and tonally inconsistent throughout, flirting with elements of a crime thriller and a goofy comedy.”
A Storm Is Threat’ning: Perspectives on The Rolling Stones and ‘Gimme Shelter’
“Whether they intended to or not, the ‘Gimme Shelter’ filmmakers had tapped into and exposed a diabolical soul and a deep-seated hostility. The sun that had fleetingly shone so brightly was starting to set.”
Once Upon a Time in Tarantinoland: ‘Death Proof’ Is a Fun Grindhouse Detour But a Lesser Tarantino Film
“‘Death Proof’ is too singularly grindhouse, but it works as a fun, trashy flick, and a cool female empowerment story.”
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.”
Sundance London Review: Jennifer Kent’s ‘The Nightingale’
“‘The Nightingale’ is a rich and vivid work from a director whose bold vision accounts for its brutality.”
Review: Chad Stahelski’s ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’
“As a whole, ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’ is a fun romp and continues the Greek/pulp mythology set up in ‘John Wick: Chapter 2.’ In future installments, Stahelski might want to tone down the campiness, otherwise the series will lunge into self-parody.”
Once Upon a Time in Tarantinoland: ‘Jackie Brown’ Is a Subtle Outlier in Quentin Tarantino’s Oeuvre
“While ‘Jackie Brown’ does revel in nostalgia and feature its fair share of firearms, it’s a much more subdued, nuanced and mature film than any of Tarantino’s previous works, or any other production within his entire filmography.’
Backlash: A Decade of John G. Avildsen
“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.”
Review: A.T. White’s ‘Starfish’
“This is a moody, thoughtful and impressively weird debut feature from White.”
Berlinale 2019 Review: Agnieszka Holland’s ‘Mr. Jones’
“A worthy tale of a pivotal figure, ‘Mr. Jones’ deserves consideration, even if it is to be met with confusion and scorn.”