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.”
Interview with ‘Assault’ Director Adilkhan Yerzhanov
‘Assault’ Interview: Fedor Tot discusses the 2022 film with filmmaker Adilkhan Yerzhanov.
Album Review: A Place to Bury Strangers ‘See Through You’
“While ‘Pinned’ often feels like the diary entries of someone suffering from a wound that wouldn’t heal, ‘See Through You’ feels like a ‘Fuck you, I’m still here, and I’m happy,’ plus lots and lots of hooks.”
Time Machine: Bianca Stigter’s ‘Three Minutes: A Lengthening’
“Stigter’s direction transforms ‘Three Minutes: A Lengthening’ into so much more than a historical lesson on atrocity and genocide.”
There Is No Try: Documenting the Silicon Valley Mindset
There Is No Try: Documenting the Silicon Valley Mindset | D.M. Palmer on ‘The Inventor, ‘Fyre,’ ‘Fyre Fraud’ and ‘WeWork: or The Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn’
Interview with ‘Aranyak’ Screenwriter Charudutt Acharya
‘Aranyak’ Interview: Dipankar Sarkar discusses the Netflix series with screenwriter Charudutt Acharya.