Review: Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin’s ‘What We Did on Our Holiday’
“A BBC Films production from the minds of Outnumbered, What We Did on Our Holiday often looks and feels like an extended sitcom episode rather than a film.”
VOD Review: Patrick Brice’s ‘Creep’
“An interesting, indie-minded horror, Creep’s simplicity adds to its effectiveness as a taught, jarring film.”
Review: Charlie Manton’s ‘Beneath Water’ (Short Film)
“Charlie Manton (The Imitation Game) shows incredible promise as a filmmaker with Beneath Water, as the visual techniques and character staging project someone in command of their own personal style.”
Review: Josh Lawson’s ‘The Little Death’
“Billed as a comedy about sex, Josh Lawson’s The Little Death only manages to explore a small margin of the current sexual landscape.”
Review: Kenny Riches’ ‘The Strongest Man’
“A subdued comedy with some truly inventive gags, The Strongest Man is the culmination of an original voice on the rise more than the triumph of a writer-director already on top.”
Review: Mia Hansen-Løve’s ‘Eden’
“It’s an era epic that’s both euphoric and melancholy, riveting despite running on the ever fleeting. It’s the new best film from one of the world’s greatest new directors.”
Review: Rick Famuyiwa’s ‘Dope’
“Despite the well-worn territory and jumbled narrative, Dope is proof positive that Hollywood needs diversity and needs it NOW.”
Review: David Gordon Green’s ‘Manglehorn’
“Seldom more than a vehicle for Pacino to exercise his considerable (and still active) talents, Manglehorn is a string of engaging and breathtaking images that, when strung together, become a subdued meandering plot devoid of any real meaning.”
Review: Miroslav Slaboshpitsky’s ‘The Tribe’
“The film is nothing if not an audacious directorial debut; a grand, horrifying cinematic mission statement that might particularly appeal to the likes of Michael Haneke and, especially, Gaspar Noé.”
Review: Sylvia Borges’ ‘Rendezvous’
“Through a series of seemingly sensual vignettes, the director hides the passion that her protagonist so desperately wants, and its this absence of feeling that unveils a misguided and disillusioned woman.”
Review: Stéphane Lafleur’s ‘Tu dors Nicole’
“Change doesn’t always have to be monumental, and small films like Tu dors Nicole can still be great without high stakes.”
Review: Anne Fontaine’s ‘Gemma Bovery’
“The shell of Gemma Bovery makes it seem like there might be something weighty within, but it’s too empty an affair.”
Review: Adam Carolla and Nate Adams’ ‘Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman’
“A plethora of heart-pounding footage (race and off-track) is at the heart and soul of Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman.”
Review: Gil Kenan’s ‘Poltergeist’
“This Poltergeist is an efficient, amiably entertaining riff on an established thrill ride, but the film does little to spook long-term.”
Review: Collin Schiffli’s ‘Animals’
“Crossing the boundaries of reality, Animals tackles drug abuse from an insider’s perspective by inviting the audience to share in an experience so uniquely alienating, it is impossible to fully comprehend.”
Review: Thomas Cailley’s ‘Love at First Fight’
“A multiple award winner at the Director’s Fortnight sidebar of Cannes last year, Les combattants, the charming feature debut of director Thomas Cailley, finally arrives in North America under the name Love at First Fight, an unfortunate pun that does a disservice to a romantic comedy that’s much more interesting than its new title may suggest.”
Review: Bradley King’s ‘Time Lapse’
“Apprehensively approaching its subject from a fresh, interesting angle, Time Lapse never quite fulfills the lofty goals it has for itself.”
Review: John Maclean’s ‘Slow West’
A fresh, vibrant Western revival, Slow “West uses the tropes of the genre to its advantage, delivering a unique tale about searching for love in all the wrong places.”
Review: George Miller’s ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’
“Surpassing expectations and delivering a heaping dose of electrifying visuals, Mad Max: Fury Road is what all blockbuster action movies should strive to be.”
Review: Henry Hobson’s ‘Maggie’
“A film that deals more with heady emotional concepts than surviving a viral apocalypse, Maggie is the perfect actor’s showcase for a man long thought to have given up drama.”