Venice Film Festival Review: Sofia Coppola’s ‘Priscilla’
“Spaeny’s rigidity — especially in the first half of ‘Priscilla’ — is the perfect extension of Coppola’s curiosity regarding space and movement.”
Venice Film Festival Review: Michael Mann’s ‘Ferrari’
“‘Ferrari’ is a mixed portrait; a kind of freeze-frame of 50s masculinity, in all its ruthlessness and moral codes that have not adapted to a less binary society.”
Venice Film Festival Review: Pablo Larraín’s ‘El Conde’
“‘El Conde’ is an unhinged satire, more than any of recent memory.”
Review: Marcel Walz’s ‘That’s a Wrap’
“As an indie Giallo, ‘That’s a Wrap’ fails to read the room.”
Edinburgh Film Festival Review: Daniel Bandeira’s ‘Propriedade’
“As a pure piece of genre filmmaking, ‘Propriedade’ is highly successful.”
An Interview with ‘Guras’ Filmmaker Saurav Rai
‘Guras’ Interview: Dipankar Sarkar discusses the 2023 movie with filmmaker Saurav Rai.
Edinburgh Film Festival Review: Devashish Makhija’s ‘Joram’
“‘Joram’ is effectively a new version of ‘The Fugitive’ (and a rather good one at that).”
Review: Joe Eddy’s ‘Bootyology’
“Eddy’s entertaining flick will presumably be a digital/midnight movie hit, if and when the Butt Gods help streamers find the film online. Godspeed, ‘Bootyology.'”
Review: André Øvredal’s ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter’
“‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter’ doesn’t make enough of an impression to stand out amongst the veritable legions of other Dracula films that already exist.”
Review: Thomas Hardiman’s ‘Medusa Deluxe’
“The fun of ‘Medusa Deluxe’ is less about figuring out who the murderer is and more to do with watching everybody lose their minds over their little bubble being penetrated by an outside influence they can’t control.”
Review: Inna Sahakyan’s ‘Aurora’s Sunrise’
“Seek out ‘Aurora’s Sunrise,’ sit with it, and then think about how any lingering pain can be used for good.”
Review: Corey Stanton’s ‘Trader’
“‘Trader’ is a bit too unpolished to earn a double-bill pairing with classic films about stock trading, even if the thriller earned early acclaim from genre-specific outlets.”
Review: Luke McManus’ ‘North Circular’
“‘North Circular’ feels slightly unfocused at times, but this is likely intentional given how tough it is to nail down one definitive take on what it means to be from this area.”
Review: Christopher Fox’s ‘Rub’
“A strong feature debut like ‘Rub’ suggests that the writer-director doesn’t need fancy equipment or multi-million dollar budgets to sustain a successful filmmaking career.”
Review: Brian Vincent’s ‘Make Me Famous’
“‘Make Me Famous’ is a perceptive film about Reagan-era business strategies that elevated one group of creative gamblers and led others to their graves.”
Review: Ran Li’s ‘Till Love Do Us Part’
“Ran Li’s quietly devastating feature debut, ‘Till Love Do Us Part,’ channels the charm of Richard Linklater’s ‘Before’ trilogy while carrying the emotional baggage of an introspective international classic like Federico Fellini’s ‘8 1/2.'”
Review: Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’
“Not only does ‘Oppenheimer’ prove to be one the best-crafted biopics in recent memory, but it also boldly reaffirms the director’s auteur status.”
‘Mad Heidi’ Review: A Very Swiss Tale of Nutrition and Patriotism
“‘Mad Heidi’ is a sassy Swissploitation film worth watching (it’s the only one in existence) and undeniably one of the best Swiss cheese-themed movies of the 21st century.”
Review: Josh Appignanesi’s ‘My Extinction’
“‘My Extinction’ reads like the opening chapters of an unfinished novel from an intellectual-turned-radical: heavy sociopolitical context, rich character development and instructions for the path forward. Essential viewing.”
Review: Daniel Andres Werner’s ‘Amor Bandido’
“‘Amor Bandido’ is shrewdly paced, heartbreakingly performed and cunning in its political awareness.”