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.'”
Megachurch Charms: ‘The Righteous Gemstones’ Season 3
“‘The Righteous Gemstones’ season 3 stays true to the constants that made me appreciate the show in the first place while adding more characters to love.”
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.”
Hollywood Writers and Actors on Strike: The Latest Historic Battle
“Here in the heart of Yoknapatawpha (Lafayette) County, I think about our favorite literary son, William Faulkner, during his time as a screenwriter in Hollywood and how he would feel about the current strike by members of the WGA.”
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.”
Crime Scene #6: ‘Time and Tide’ – A Hong Kong Elegy
“‘Time and Tide’ seems to gaze both forward and backwards at once, its breaking down of editing structure creating a strange discombobulating effect.”
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.”