Crime Scene #7: ‘Twilight’ and the Hungarian Hills
“In ‘Twilight,’ Fehér suggests, the force of authority truly loses its voice.”
Venice Film Festival Review: Michael Mann’s ‘Ferrari’
“‘Ferrari’ is a mixed portrait; a kind of freeze-frame of 50s masculinity, in all its ruthlessness and moral codes that have not adapted to a less binary society.”
Venice Film Festival Review: Pablo Larraín’s ‘El Conde’
“‘El Conde’ is an unhinged satire, more than any of recent memory.”
Review: Marcel Walz’s ‘That’s a Wrap’
“As an indie Giallo, ‘That’s a Wrap’ fails to read the room.”
Edinburgh Film Festival Review: Daniel Bandeira’s ‘Propriedade’
“As a pure piece of genre filmmaking, ‘Propriedade’ is highly successful.”
An Interview with ‘Guras’ Filmmaker Saurav Rai
‘Guras’ Interview: Dipankar Sarkar discusses the 2023 movie with filmmaker Saurav Rai.
Edinburgh Film Festival Review: Devashish Makhija’s ‘Joram’
“‘Joram’ is effectively a new version of ‘The Fugitive’ (and a rather good one at that).”
Review: Joe Eddy’s ‘Bootyology’
“Eddy’s entertaining flick will presumably be a digital/midnight movie hit, if and when the Butt Gods help streamers find the film online. Godspeed, ‘Bootyology.'”
Megachurch Charms: ‘The Righteous Gemstones’ Season 3
“‘The Righteous Gemstones’ season 3 stays true to the constants that made me appreciate the show in the first place while adding more characters to love.”
Review: André Øvredal’s ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter’
“‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter’ doesn’t make enough of an impression to stand out amongst the veritable legions of other Dracula films that already exist.”
Hollywood Writers and Actors on Strike: The Latest Historic Battle
“Here in the heart of Yoknapatawpha (Lafayette) County, I think about our favorite literary son, William Faulkner, during his time as a screenwriter in Hollywood and how he would feel about the current strike by members of the WGA.”
Review: Thomas Hardiman’s ‘Medusa Deluxe’
“The fun of ‘Medusa Deluxe’ is less about figuring out who the murderer is and more to do with watching everybody lose their minds over their little bubble being penetrated by an outside influence they can’t control.”
Review: Inna Sahakyan’s ‘Aurora’s Sunrise’
“Seek out ‘Aurora’s Sunrise,’ sit with it, and then think about how any lingering pain can be used for good.”
Review: Corey Stanton’s ‘Trader’
“‘Trader’ is a bit too unpolished to earn a double-bill pairing with classic films about stock trading, even if the thriller earned early acclaim from genre-specific outlets.”
Crime Scene #6: ‘Time and Tide’ – A Hong Kong Elegy
“‘Time and Tide’ seems to gaze both forward and backwards at once, its breaking down of editing structure creating a strange discombobulating effect.”
Review: Luke McManus’ ‘North Circular’
“‘North Circular’ feels slightly unfocused at times, but this is likely intentional given how tough it is to nail down one definitive take on what it means to be from this area.”
Review: Christopher Fox’s ‘Rub’
“A strong feature debut like ‘Rub’ suggests that the writer-director doesn’t need fancy equipment or multi-million dollar budgets to sustain a successful filmmaking career.”
A Refurbishment Project: ‘The Bear’ Season 2
“At its core, ‘The Bear’ season 2 is about different modes of refurbishment, for which the central effort to revamp the restaurant acts as a framing metaphor.”
Review: Brian Vincent’s ‘Make Me Famous’
“‘Make Me Famous’ is a perceptive film about Reagan-era business strategies that elevated one group of creative gamblers and led others to their graves.”
An Interview with ‘Nehemich’ Filmmaker Yudhajit Basu
‘Nehemich’ Interview: Dipankar Sarkar discusses the 2023 short film with director Yudhajit Basu.