IFFR 2017 Review: Kevin Phillips’ ‘Super Dark Times’
“The beauty of ‘Super Dark Times’ can be found in its caring and sensitive vision for the characters’ world.”
IFFR 2017 Review: Elene Naveriani’s ‘I am Truly a Drop of Sun on Earth’
“In this promising debut, there is something beautiful about the resignation that humanity can be found in surprising places.”
IFFR 2017 Review: Marcelo Caetano’s ‘Corpo Elétrico’
“The film is more of a mood piece than a purely narrative feature, one that prefers to focus on the nuances of being different.”
Review: Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan’s ‘Strike a Pose’
“Recollecting lessons learned is not the same as actual learning.”
Review: Martin Scorsese’s ‘Silence’
“For all its violence and grandiosity, it stands as an impressively filmed indictment against religious persecution.”
RIDM 2016 Review: Atsushi Funahashi’s ‘Raise Your Arms and Twist – Documentary of NMB48’
“Focusing on a group from Osaka rather than Tokyo unveils a more nuanced reality of the industry, offering a look from the outside.”
RIDM 2016 Review: Nele Wohlatz’s ‘El futuro perfecto’
“As we take for granted the ease of our own native tongue, we are perhaps ignoring its full potential.”
Los Cabos IFF Review: Kenneth Lonergan’s ‘Manchester by the Sea’
“‘Manchester by the Sea’ will make your dad cry by showing him how he deals with emotions and the instructional framework through which he learned how to deal with emotions.”
Los Cabos IFF Review: Pablo Larraín’s ‘Jackie’
“Portman’s vivid portrayal is the film’s greatest strength, coasting through woebegone New England accents and the script’s on-the-nose airing of themes in the final act.”
RIDM 2016 Review: Mehrdad Oskouei’s ‘Starless Dreams’
“In some ways, Oskouei’s involvement can be construed as invasive, but it feels integral.”
RIDM 2016 Review: Claire Simon’s ‘Le concours’
“What makes someone a great artist before they’ve made any great works of art? That becomes the central question and object of scrutiny at the heart of ‘Le concours,’ making it one of the most compelling examinations of auteur driven cinema.”
RIDM 2016 Review: Patric Chiha’s ‘Brothers of the Night’
“‘Brothers of the Night’ takes an unexpected approach and reveals hidden parts of life amongst Bulgarian male hustlers in Vienna.”
Review: Kleber Mendonça Filho’s ‘Aquarius’
“In ‘Aquarius,’ memories — of places, moments, music and lovers — balance imminent struggles to live well.”
CIFF Review: Terence Davies’ ‘A Quiet Passion’
“‘A Quiet Passion’ is at its best when its silence is broken by images, not words.”
NYFF Review: Mia Hansen-Løve’s ‘Things to Come’
“There is no right way to negotiate these expectations, and no way to outrun them: they simply exist as a part of life.”
Review: Ang Lee’s ‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk’
“Ultimately, Ang Lee delivers a smart war film that offers a great deal of empathy to its social actors while still remaining critical of imperialist impulses in American culture.”
CIFF Review: Andrzej Wajda’s ‘Afterimage’
“This portrait of an aging artist engages with and refuses the idea that artistic and social isolation is anything but selfish.”
London Film Festival Review: Jim Jarmusch’s ‘Paterson’
“‘Paterson’ is about that circularity of life that simultaneously brings about sparks of creativity and moments of reassuring stability.”
CIFF Review: Park Chan-wook’s ‘The Handmaiden’
“In a film that’s otherwise so devoted to giving these women the opportunity to create a new identity, ‘The Handmaiden’ can’t help but peek into their new lives.”
NYFF Review: Mike Mills’ ’20th Century Women’
“With Mills so free and acrobatic in his constructions and portrayal of the characters, coupled with excellent acting, it’s difficult not find them endearing given the wit and depth of ’20th Century Women.'”