Review: Tom Schulman’s ‘Double Down South’
“Lili Simmons plays it perfectly in ‘Double Down South,’ a cinematic descendant of the modern gambling classics ‘Rounders’ and ‘Mississippi Grind.'”
Review: Julio Torres’ ‘Problemista’
“The joy of ‘Problemista’ comes from the specificity of its humor, as every other line reveals another new shade of Torres’ enchanting window on the world, with each phrasing choice another morsel to marvel over.”
Berlin International Film Festival Review: Meryam Joobeur’s ‘Who Do I Belong To’
“‘Who Do I Belong To’ is social realist cinema at its stodgiest and most self-serious.”
Berlin International Film Festival Reviews: ‘Betânia’ and ‘Dormir De Olhos Abertos’
“On their own, ‘Betânia’ and ‘Dormir De Olhos Abertos’ represent excellent achievements — but taken together, the two productions provide an excellent account of gentrification and globalization in the northeast of Brazil.”
Review: Jessamyn Ansary and Joyce Mishaan’s ‘Lee Fields: Faithful Man’
“Shifting timelines in ‘Lee Fields: Faithful Man’ spotlight the subject’s fighter mentality and relevance in 2020s pop culture.”
Review: Abhilash Shetty’s ‘Koli Taal’
“It’s amazing what an emerging writer-director can accomplish by staying true to the basic elements of filmmaking and then building upon the foundation by applying a creative vision to a relatively simple yet regionally specific story.”
Review: Bertrand Mandico’s ‘She Is Conann’
“The main issue with a film as defiantly arthouse as ‘She Is Conann’ is that if the story isn’t engaging in its own right, everything else that’s wrong becomes increasingly more obvious.”
Berlin International Film Festival Review: Roman Bondarchuk’s ‘The Editorial Office’
“I hope the future of Ukrainian cinema looks like ‘The Editorial Office.'”
Review: Matteo Garrone’s ‘Io Capitano’
“‘Io Capitano’ feels carefully researched in its subject matter, while the narrative itself is constructed with an intensity far more characteristic of Garrone’s genre work.”
Review: James Bamford’s ‘Air Force One Down’
“‘Air Force One Down’ stalls during the middle act but ultimately finds it groove, choppy as the writing may be overall.”
Review: Michael Lukk Litwak’s ‘Molli and Max in the Future’
“Despite the hollow philosophizing, ‘Molli and Max in the Future’ offers a surrealistic blend of popcorn entertainment and classic Hollywood appeal.”
Review: Keir O’Donnell’s ‘Marmalade’
“‘Marmalade’ isn’t a great film, and many high-brow critics will presumably dismiss it as ‘rotten’ nonsense, but there’s something special within the overall approach that suggests a bright filmmaking future for O’Donnell.”
Review: Amjad Al Rasheed’s ‘Inshallah a Boy’
“Al Rasheed’s feature directorial debut succeeds through its cultural specificities, enlightening cinematography and authentic performances.”
Sundance Film Festival Review: Aaron Schimberg’s ‘A Different Man’
“‘A Different Man’ is a bold, unsettling psychological drama, showing Sebastian Stan at his most chaotically unhinged…”
Sundance Film Festival Review: Megan Park’s ‘My Old Ass’
“Bittersweet and deeply poignant, ‘My Old Ass’ is one of the most emotionally affecting dramedies in quite some time.”
Review: Hong Sang-Soo’s ‘In Our Day’
“‘In Our Day’ shows that even a smaller Hong Sang-soo film, like the smaller moments of life that it portrays, can be just as rich with drama, sadness and beauty as any other, and that every fragment contains so much of the whole.”
Review: Roman Polanski’s ‘The Palace’
“With all the surfaces of style, wit and entertainment stripped away, ‘The Palace’ lays the director’s ideology bare in all its unflinching bleakness and petty emptiness.”
Review: Cassius Michael Kim’s ‘Man on the Run’
“Kim mostly hits the mark with ‘Man on the Run,’ even if some of the Adam McKay-style filmmaking choices don’t land particularly well.”
Review: Kimani Ray Smith’s ‘The Painter’
“‘The Painter’ seems destined for Tubi, where it may indeed earn a fanbase. The film clearly sets up a sequel, so a second franchise installment might be more creatively ambitious, even if its existence on paper doesn’t feel earned.”
Review: Ilker Çatak’s ‘The Teachers’ Lounge’
“With dashes of dark humor, unnerving tension and a striking lead performance centering it all, ‘The Teachers’ Lounge’ uncomfortably builds to claustrophobia in a real domino effect.”