“‘Mi fanno male I capelli’ communicates an important message about the theatrical movie experience that cinephiles will appreciate: some people find inner peace through the outdoors, while others experience closure and rebirth in dark places.”
“‘Limonov: The Ballad of Eddie’ is a divisive film, but its bold stylistic choices make up for any narrative deficiencies.”
“Many of the best crime films make a virtue of the specificity of their location. Few, however, are as specific as ‘Salvatore Giuliano,’ nor are they as cognizant of how the central locations effect the story.”
“‘Enea’ is full of rich character development, yet the protagonists and antiheroes seem like archetypal figures dropped into a real world setting inhabited by naturalistic side players.”
“Zauhar gets to the heart of her characters’ deepest fears and desires, in a way that’s disarmingly funny and painfully relatable.”
“Somewhat epic like Michael Mann’s ‘Heat’ (1995) and political in nature like Sollima’s underrated series ‘ZeroZeroZero’ (2020), ‘Adagio’ executes its brutal messaging through cinematographer Paolo Carnera’s observant visual language.”
“Part coming-of-age drama, part quirky foray into magical realism, ‘Bird’ is a difficult film to nail down. Written and directed by Andrea Arnold, the 2024 movie sometimes doesn’t seem to know exactly what it’s trying to communicate.”
“Quarxx guides the audience along through a French nightmare tale in ‘Pandemonium’ but doesn’t seem fully invested in what’s scary beyond the surface-level gore. He swings for the fences and falls on home plate in the process.”
“Gish speaks confidently and passionately about acting in Sanders’ American Masters documentary, but perhaps the most intriguing moments emerge when she discusses her love for film preservation…”
“In just her second film, Kapadia has become one of the most exciting directors working today. I doubt Cannes will be as quick to write off the cinema of India in her wake.”
“The package may be pretty, but there’s nothing of note inside, and what is there has been done better elsewhere.”
“‘There’s Still Tomorrow,’ the feature directorial debut by Italian actress Paola Cortellesi, betrays traditional World War II-era films with its unique style and subversion.”
“‘Whenever I’m Alone with You’ often feels pretentious, albeit in the best way possible.”
“‘Bound,’ the feature directorial debut from actor Isaac Hirotsu Woofter, spotlights the struggles of fringe society characters but falls apart with its confusing editing and narrative structure.”
“‘Ghost Trail’ is never boring — a testament to Millet’s laser-focused and tightly-edited direction.”
“‘Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever’ is formulaic to a fault… however, keep an eye on Fanny Bornedal. It won’t be long until she headlines (or co-headlines) a high-profile TV series or film on a major streaming service.”
‘Laapataa Ladies’ Interview: Dipankar Sarkar discusses the 2023 movie with screenwriter Sneha Desai.
“It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when television’s so-called Second Golden Age began; however, by the 2010s, it was understood that Prestige TV had begun to fill the gap left by the demise of cinema’s mid-budget tier.”
“‘Coma’ conjures up the spirit of 2020 like no other movie thus far. Through its unwieldy structure and genre delineation, Bonello’s film often feels every bit as disorienting as it was to scroll through social media timelines during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“In a lot of ways, ‘Moonlighting’ now seems like a 1990s premium cable show that happened to run on a traditional broadcast network. It carried itself as if it was smarter and wilder and more interesting than anything else on television.”