Cold Pizza on Desolation Row
“When depression hits, it’s just there. With ‘Crimson Gold,’ Panahi demonstrates this concept while informing viewers about the nuances of Hussein’s life.”
Sean Baker’s ‘Red Rocket’ Is Go for Launch
“Baker’s appreciation for even the smallest roles is a chief delight of ‘Red Rocket.'”
‘Cheap Thrills’ and the Desperation of the Working-Class Man
“‘Cheap Thrills’ is a cautionary tale of the snake hidden in the grass, not of the lions fighting for a scrap of meat.”
Hey, Don’t Write Yourself Off Yet: ‘Orange County’ At 20
“‘Orange County’ is inarguably a product of its time, but the movie is also timeless in its exploration of how writing requires us to look inward as well as outward — and be just as merciless in the process.”
Céline Sciamma Finds Magic in ‘Petite Maman’
“Sciamma’s handling of the interactions between the kids is as confident and as beautifully realized as the depiction of relationships in ‘Water Lilies,’ ‘Tomboy’ and ‘Girlhood.'”
The Light of Human Love and Community: On ‘Moontide’ and ‘Port of Shadows’
“‘Moontide’ and ‘Port of Shadows’ offer a fascinating study into key differences in Hollywood and European filmmaking and storytelling during the 1930s and early 1940s, a time when the studio system reigned supreme…”
Vague Visages Is FilmStruck: Michael Haneke’s ‘Benny’s Video’
“‘Benny’s Video’ implicates us, the audience, for watching. Haneke chides the spectators, removed from the action by a screen, for their inability — or perhaps their unwillingness — to stop the violence.”