Review: Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City’
“As carefully controlled as every shot typically is for one of Anderson’s films, this is the most alive behind the wheel he has felt as a purely comic filmmaker in quite some time.”
Forbidden Worlds Film Festival: ‘Cliffhanger,’ Sylvester Stallone and Realism
“‘Cliffhanger’ is emblematic of a specific kind of big-budget Hollywood blockbuster that was very much in vogue at the time: dumb, full of testosterone and British villains.”
Review: Ted Geoghegan’s ‘Brooklyn 45’
“‘Brooklyn 45’ is what happens when an experienced filmmaker finds their voice and brings everything together.”
Review: Charlotte Le Bon’s ‘Falcon Lake’
“Falcon Lake’s funereal tone may be a bit too emo for some, but for those willing to get swept up in its dark splendor, Le Bon’s film is a remarkably shrewd debut.”
Review: Joaquin del Paso’s ‘The Hole in the Fence’
“‘The Hole in the Fence’ functions as a voice for the voiceless; it’s a rallying cry for Mexican youths who don’t automatically drink the Kool-Aid made by high society snobs.”
Review: Alex Andre’s ‘Pratfall’
“‘Pratfall’ is a sobering study of fate, unprocessed emotional trauma and The Big Apple as an unforgiving Big Bad.”
Crime Scene #4: ‘Amsterdamned’ – The City Is Always Sinking
“‘Amsterdamned’ can’t decide if it wants to embrace those who interact with the city or kill them, and this contradiction is part of the film’s slimy, schlocky charm.”
An Interview with ‘Lords of Lockdown’ Filmmaker Mihir Fadnavis
‘Lords of Lockdown’ Interview: Dipankar Sarkar discusses the 2022 documentary with filmmaker Mihir Fadnavis.
Review: Nicole Holofcener’s ‘You Hurt My Feelings’
“Nicole Holofcener’s 2023 film is witty, grounded and surprisingly uplifting.”
Review: Ryan Stevens Harris’ ‘Moon Garden’
“More than just another dream-state drama, ‘Moon Garden’ is a moving ode to mother-daughter bonds.”
Review: Joe Lo Truglio’s ‘Outpost’
“‘Outpost’ is an auspicious introduction to Lo Truglio the filmmaker and suggests great things are to come for him. Based on this evidence alone, his leading lady should also have plenty more opportunities to lead a charge in the future.”
Review: Srđan Keča’s ‘Museum of the Revolution’
“‘Museum of the Revolution’ has no moral or artistic responsibility to provide answers. But when almost none of these contemporary films even attempt to imagine an answer, one has to wonder where exactly we’re going wrong.”
Review: Theodore Schaefer’s ‘Giving Birth to a Butterfly’
“‘Giving Birth to a Butterfly’ progressively improves from act to act, due to a cohesive narrative structure, strong character development and the director’s willingness to get weird.”
Weird Worlds: The Short Films of Ari Aster
“Aster’s short films are at present the best representation of his eclectic taste and elastic interests.”
New York African Film Festival Review: Ery Claver’s ‘Our Lady of the Chinese Shop’
“A meditation on the temptations of leisure, ‘Our Lady of the Chinese Shop’ announces a major filmmaking talent in Ery Claver.”
Review: James Gunn’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’
“‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ makes use of what comes before without being totally bogged down. It’s a working film product, if not a superlatively meaningful work of art.”
Review: Sam Green’s ’32 Sounds’
“If sound is a social currency, then Green’s doc could inspire a valuable franchise, à la the ‘Up’ series from across the pond. We’re going to need more cowbell.”
Crime Scene #3: ‘Bob le Flambeur’ and the Death of Paris
“Melville’s Paris is a poetically insomniac version, one that I’m not sure ever really existed. The City of Light has been written about and filmed so much that one has long since forgotten what is real and what is urban legend.”
On György Fehér’s ‘Twilight’ and the Eternity of Nature
“‘Twilight’ is a remarkable film with its loaded minimalism and spectacular formalism.”
Review: Lee Cronin’s ‘Evil Dead Rise’
“‘Evil Dead Rise’ quickly devolves into a mean-spirited slog of self-consciously gruesome attempts at shocking an audience that will only be fooled if they’ve never seen another horror movie before.”