“‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’ opines that it’s sometimes better to give up trying to fix somebody, rather than forcing them into a breakdown, particularly in instances when the source of their trauma isn’t completely clear.”
“‘Halloween Kills’ may not be to everybody’s tastes, but there’s a reason for that ‘kills’ in the title, beyond attention-grabbing marketing. The word refers not just to Michael himself but the rot at the core of Haddonfield…”
‘The Miniaturist of Junagadh’ Interview: Vague Visages’ Dipankar Sarkar discusses the short film with director Kaushal Oza.
“The ‘cinematic’ moviegoing experience is gradually taking shape once more, not just the notion of spectacle, but stimulation of the mind and conscience.”
“Holland and Sodaro are so effortlessly good together, their characters evoking the kind of visual contrast unforgettably rendered by Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy…”
‘Everything Is Cinema’ Interview: Vague Visages’ Dipankar Sarkar discusses the 2021 movie with filmmaker Don Palathara.
Anthony Strand Interview: A conversation about movie collecting with Vague Visages contributor Greg Carlson.
“‘The Medium’ is arguably the horror movie of the year, one that should be seen on the biggest screen possible.”
“There is no analytical framework to guide audiences towards a hollow understanding of raw talent. Gleeson’s charisma is built-in, like all legendary performers, and this is most evident when his characters behave despicably.”
“‘Gully Boy’ has as much heart as it does energy, and skillfully manages to avoid being a formulaic tearjerker about a poor boy from the slums.”
“Despite a variety of shortcomings that encompass eye-rolling fan-service lollipops and unresolved narrative threads, there is much to savor in ‘The Many Saints of Newark.'”
“‘V/H/S/94’ is a thoroughly decent installment despite its relatively slight nature. It’s a film which invites the audience to have a lot of fun but keeps an air of spooky credibility intact…”
How did the French film industry suddenly change its attitude towards Netflix? And how did Netflix become an advocate for film heritage preservation? Here’s a report by Alina Hirschhausen.
“Kilmer’s personal observations and insights are always engaging in ‘Val’ and occasionally yield details and particulars that allow viewers to peek behind the curtain of fame.”
“While ‘Cry Macho’ succeeds with the set-up character scenes, it fails with its overall execution.”
“‘Red State’ boasts a starry cast, but Smith’s story is ruthlessly contained, captured with a grainy texture, and presented like a true no-budget indie horror, with bursts of shocking violence punctuating the tense atmosphere.”
“The magic of Hadzihalilovic’s ‘Earwig’ comes in the form of its suggestion that viewers abandon their expectations and preconceptions about what cinema should be and what a story can be.”
“‘Kid 90’ is a story that could have used more unguarded introspection.”
“‘Medusa’ is so overstuffed that it can’t find a way to tie its myriad conflicting tones together…”
“‘Promare’ offers an electrifying amount of fun, and it’s perhaps one of the finest examples of escapist cinema during the COVID-19 era.”