Review: Christopher Boone and Kevin Smokler’s ‘Vinyl Nation’
“‘Vinyl Nation’ accentuates the positive, but the documentary can also be commended for at least raising questions about industry downsides to the record boom.”
Glasgow Film Festival Review: Justin Kurzel’s ‘Nitram’
“In ‘Nitram,’ even the simplest domestic scenes inside the Bryant family home seem to have had the light and life sucked from them. And even in the film’s gentlest moments, Kurzel never lets the audience forget the film’s hopeless destination.”
Both the Sum and the Parts: Black Country, New Road’s ‘Ants from Up There’
“Black Country, New Road’s ‘Ants from Up There’ feels like a landmark moment in contemporary British alternative rock music.”
The Art of the Score: Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Logan Lucky’
The Art of the Score #3: Blake Howard on Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Logan Lucky’
Review: Mattie Do’s ‘The Long Walk’
“‘The Long Walk,’ the latest from Mattie Do — Laos’ first and, so far, only female director — understands that for time travel to make sense, all one has to do is present it as is. For Do, it’s a feeling more than a fact.”
Horror Fans Will Devour Mimi Cave’s ‘Fresh’
“Throughout ‘Fresh,’ Cave shows a sophisticated command of the screw-turning suspense in the material and the milieu.”
Berlin Critics’ Week: Tripping Through Cities and Centuries in ‘Detours’ and ‘Nosferasta: First Bite’
“The same way our minds shift under the influence of drugs, so too do they shift under the influence of new information, new truths. The higher the walls, the taller the ladders people will build to overcome them.”
Interview with ‘Bhoothakaalam’ Director Rahul Sadasivan
‘Bhoothakaalam’ Interview: Dipankar Sarkar discusses the 2022 movie with filmmaker Rahul Sadasivan.
Berlinale 2022: ‘No Angels’ Retrospective and Carole Lombard
“Carole Lombard’s performances — even when placed in manic films such as ‘Twentieth Century’ — are so often understated that you barely even notice half of the choices made.”
That Feeling When You’re Hellbending (and Evolving)
“The Adams Family continues to evolve as a DIY filmmaking unit… In 10 years, ‘Hellbender’ will probably be viewed as the hit before THE HIT.”
Berlin Critics’ Week: Replacing the Beauty of an Image with the Clarity of a Message
Berlin Critics’ Week: Soham Gadre on the Losing Transmissions Program (‘Notes for a Déjà Vu’, ‘The Dream and the Radio’)
Review: W. Kamau Bell’s ‘We Need to Talk About Cosby’
“Bell is as masterful a listener as he is an interviewer, fully honoring the presence of those whose lives were changed after crossing paths with Cosby.”
Nine-to-Five Fellows: The Company Man Comes Home
“The generation that had fought the war was confronting the generation that had overseen it, staging a sub-rosa assault on entrenched power.” – D.M. Palmer on ‘Patterns,’ ‘The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit’ and ‘The Apartment’
Collecting Movies with Filmmaker Nicole Rodenburg
Nicole Rodenburg Interview: A conversation about movie collecting with Vague Visages contributor Greg Carlson.
Review: Richard Bates Jr.’s ‘King Knight’
“‘King Knight’ isn’t terribly substantial overall, with much of the central premise built on being weird for weird’s sake.”
A Macabre Tale of Culpability and Self-Recrimination: Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Maqbool’
“‘Maqbool’ leaves the audience with that extraordinary feeling only a few Hindi films have the ability to achieve – it’s both profoundly satisfying and artistically existential.”
Berlinale Review: Ulrich Seidl’s ‘Rimini’
“By dint of the fact that ‘Rimini’ showcases such a vast gulf between performance and direction, Seidl’s return to fictional filmmaking is, if nothing else, hugely interesting.”
‘Cosmic Dawn,’ Supernovas and the Dangers of Homage
“‘Cosmic Dawn’ isn’t a bad film, it’s just not better than anything that’s already been made by the filmmaking team of Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij (‘Sound of My Voice’, ‘The East,’ ‘The OA’).”
The Art of the Score: Spike Lee’s ‘Inside Man’
The Art of the Score #2: Blake Howard on Spike Lee’s ‘Inside Man’
Sundance Review: Alli Haapasalo’s ‘Girl Picture’
“The lighthearted slice-of-life storytelling in ‘Girl Picture’ gives viewers a healthy sampling of what Haapasalo has to offer and, ultimately, a fulfilling and effervescent exploration of teenage sexuality.”