Tribeca Film Festival Review: Guillaume Canet’s ‘Rock’n Roll’
“Canet’s performance seems to come from a place of real insecurity, and the resulting film plays out like an externalized catharsis.”
Tribeca Film Festival Reviews: Men with Guns – ‘Sweet Virginia’ and ‘Hondros’
“What ‘Sweet Virginia’ and ‘Hondros’ have in common is the notion that men with guns aren’t as brave or bloodthirsty as they seem.”
Tribeca Film Festival Review: Drew Xanthopoulos’ ‘The Sensitives’
“‘The Sensitives’ is a gentle and affecting window into the isolated prison cell that becomes a sensitive person’s life.”
Tribeca Film Festival Review: Zefrey Throwell and Josephine Decker’s ‘Flames’
“At times, Zefrey and Josephine seem more in love with their own clever filmmaking than they are with each other.”
Las Palmas Film Festival Reviews: ‘Still Life’ and ‘Knife in the Clear Water’
“These allegorical films remind of the original connections that we have lost.”
Las Palmas Film Festival Review: Kôji Fukada’s ‘Harmonium’
“It’s the demons within that Kôji Fukada astutely brings to life in ‘Harmonium.'”
DIFF 2017 Review: Wong Chun’s ‘Mad World’
“Its megaphone messaging is lost in the noise of its own desperation.”
DIFF 2017 Review: James Gray’s ‘The Lost City of Z’
‘It cannot be understated: ‘The Lost City of Z’ is a revelation.’
DIFF 2017 Review: Feng Xiaogang’s ‘I Am Not Madame Bovary’
“‘I Am Not Madame Bovary’ brilliantly executes its high-concept, formal experimentation perfectly. In doing so, it embodies a vision that harmonizes the theoretical with the actual.”
Las Palmas Film Festival Review: Wang Bing’s ‘Ku Qian (Bitter Money)’
“Ultimately, ‘Bitter Money’ points out that accumulating money doesn’t necessarily bring wealth, and that slaving away isn’t necessarily a solution for the Chinese subjects — it’s their only option.”
DIFF 2017 Review: Noël Wells’ ‘Mr. Roosevelt’
“Despite its over-moralizing and trite narrative, the film’s sweetness and Noël Wells’ promise make ‘Mr. Roosevelt’ a comedy worth spending 90 minutes with.”
DIFF 2017 Reviews: ‘Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl’ and ‘Los Presentes’
“The ambition and concept are good to have, it just takes a lot more work to match the craft and care of Bergman, Altman or Lynch.”
DIFF 2017 Review: Peter Bratt’s ‘Dolores’
“In a time such as ours, ‘Dolores’ delivers a vision of community organization and social flourishment that can usher in a new reality for America’s masses.”
Las Palmas Film Festival Opens with ‘Katie Says Goodbye’
“Roberts believes in the subtle force of his nice-as-pie protagonist, and he is right: Katie’s light outshines the blue Arizona sky.”
Review: Terrence Malick’s ‘Song to Song’
“‘Song to Song’ finds itself in its vast mercies. It balances tragedies and heartbreaks with life’s many graces.”
True/False 2017 Review: Fan Jian’s ‘Still Tomorrow’
“No matter which storyline is in play, the best thing about ‘Still Tomorrow’ is its subject.”
Review: Onur Tukel’s ‘Catfight’
“What ‘Catfight’ lacks in sanity, it makes up for in the sheer exuberance of Sandra Oh and Anne Heche.”
True/False 2017 Review: Yance Ford’s ‘Strong Island’
“‘Strong Island’ is a vulnerable, affecting documentary that illustrates what systemic racism looks like on a personal level.”
True/False 2017 Review: Kitty Green’s ‘Casting JonBenet’
“The editing is where the story of Casting JonBenet is truly built.”
True/False 2017 Review: Theo Anthony’s ‘Rat Film’
“‘Rat Film’ doesn’t spell out its conclusions, instead allowing the viewer to come to their own upon seeing the images and stories it presents.”