“In Mann’s world, the car and the computer seem to join forces to anonymize and obliterate the cost of human life outside of that space, enveloped in the fragmented, disintegrated aesthetic of early digital cinematography itself.”
“Kubrick was in many ways the embodiment of a new Hollywood — brilliant, creative and perhaps a bit ruthless, words that could also be used to describe his first great film, ‘The Killing.'”
“As the 70s dawned, survival for Dean Martin became a matter of staying on the horse and waiting for the culture to loop back in his favor, to mature into the venerated relic who had come direct from the bar.”
“Michael B. Jordan makes his directorial debut with a sturdy piece of franchise storytelling.”
“‘Pickup on South Street’ is perhaps the quintessential New York noir.”
“Like so many of the best movies, ‘Smoke Sauna Sisterhood’ captures the universal in the specific.”
“‘Kim’s Video’ reminds viewers that there was something very special about browsing the shelves of shops both large and small.”
“Hou’s mise-en-scène in ‘Millenium Mambo’ is the mark of a true auteur.”
“It becomes evident that the director’s preoccupation with Elisabeth ‘coming apart’ at the age of 40 is the key component of ‘Corsage’ that transcends time to become a commentary on any era.”
“‘Leaving Home, Coming Home’ is a sharp snapshot of a photography titan. All the ingredients! Chaos and clarity, freedom and free intuition.”
“‘The Eternal Daughter’ can be viewed independently from the pair of stories starring Swinton’s own daughter Honor Swinton Byrne, but the in-world connections provide an extra layer of enjoyment.”
“Shimmering like a mirage that retreats and dematerializes the closer one gets, ‘Aftersun’ may just be the best movie of 2022.”
“Gregg Araki’s 90s films feel like prophecies of a cataclysm that never happened.”
“‘Babylon’ goes big and refuses to be ignored, even if a much better, much shorter movie exists somewhere inside the messy sprawl.”
“‘Scream 2’ hints at our future obsession with true crime and the spectacle of pushing victims to relive their trauma over and over (a full two decades before these ideas would become mainstream).”
“Skolimowski imbues his films with his signature iconographic sense of obscurity and mystique; both ‘Deep End’ and ‘The Shout’ grapple with the tensions brought about by characters suddenly entering (and quickly coming to terms with) new environments.”
“Admirers of Baumbach will smile at the ways in which ‘White Noise’ embodies his longtime preoccupations and simultaneously points toward bold new possibilities.”
“Goldin’s openness and forthrightness extends to her advocacy on behalf of so many others who, like herself, struggled or continue to struggle with opioid addiction.”
“Condensing, combining and streamlining are expected elements of movie storytelling, but ‘She Said’ works toward a composite that validates as many facts and details as possible within the limitations of the feature film format.”
“Peter Cook was never able to bridge the distance between his personal world and his many creations, and one gets the impression that he derived a certain satisfaction from keeping people guessing.”