“Be it film, novel, poem or song, the triangle is one of the most frequent tropes in storytelling. Denis is such a gifted moviemaker, though, that cliche is absent from the precise and specific moments inside her intelligently constructed universe.”
“At its best, Noah Baumbach’s impressive and thoroughly decent adaptation of ‘White Noise’ interestingly discusses people’s relatable ownership of secrets yet complete inability to internalize them.”
“Poitras avoids melodrama, catharsis and sensationalism in ‘All the Beauty and the Bloodshed.’ The result is acutely devastating.”
“It is hard to partake in the self-congratulatory tone of She Said’s conclusion.”
“‘Halloween Ends’ succeeds or fails on the strength of Campbell’s performance, and the young, relatively new performer is a revelation.”
“‘Moonage Daydream’ is committed to art and artist. With few exceptions, like the acknowledgement of Bowie’s love for Iman, private life stays private.”
“‘One Fine Morning’ is an exercise in comparatively calm, delicate cinema. It balances serenity with pathos and never strays from realism, in contradistinction to Hansen-Løve’s previous film — the highly metafictional, altogether more playful ‘Bergman Island.'”
“Ferguson applies remarkable editorial skill to make judicious choices regarding what to keep in ‘Nothing Compares’ and what to omit.”
“Oakley constructs a landscape in ‘Blue Jean’ that responds to the cruelty of real society with a stark generosity. As a result, the audience is invited to sympathize with as many characters as possible.”
“A fatalist flick like ‘Blonde’ — which, importantly, is not a biopic — and serial killer documentaries like ‘The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes’ can at once be exploitative and insightful. Both things can be true.”
“‘Deadstream’ is an inventive, unpredictable and hugely charming found footage horror film, but it’s also a clever indictment of internet culture with a gripping, vanity-free lead performance from its co-writer/director.”
“In an instant, it is plain to see that Davis is superior to her material.”
“‘Searching for Ingmar Bergman’ is one of the better documentaries about a legendary filmmaker.”
“‘Blonde’ will entertain open-minded cinephiles who enjoy being dominated by bold and ambitious filmmaking.”
“‘Don’t Worry Darling’ is neither a masterpiece nor a failure (I prefer Wilde’s warmer ‘Booksmart’), but it has definitely made the shortlist as one of the year’s most talked-about films.”
“The bleak and restless nature of ‘R.M.N.’ is manifest in Tudor Vladimir Panduru’s cinematography.”
“Cohen poignantly investigates the anxieties of an untraditional rocker who is expected to fulfill traditional industry duties.”
“Fraser keeps Charlie’s fully formed humanity at the forefront of ‘The Whale,’ despite various filmmaking decisions that could flatten his character into a saccharine pity case.”
“‘The Silent Twins’ plugs away without the urgency or rising stakes that would invite viewers to identify with the special world inhabited by the female protagonists.”
“‘Do Revenge’ may not appeal to 40-somethings who grew up with ‘Reality Bites’ or ‘American Pie,’ but the character dynamics will indeed resonate with younger moviegoers who care more about individualism and transparency than reductive identity politics.”