Films About Films
“The awareness of complicity in an institutional problem brings ‘The Fabelmans,’ ‘Babylon’ and ‘Empire of Light’ together.”
Review: Christopher McQuarrie’s ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’
“‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ is the best franchise film since the fourth installment and possibly the best yet…”
Crime Scene #5: ‘Branded to Kill’ and Tokyo Teardowns
“Discordant, broken, berserk: ‘Branded to Kill’ refuses all direct relations with geography in its depiction of a career hitman on the verge of losing control.”
Don’t Expect Roses: Growth, Transformation and Illusion in Tony Blair’s Britain
“The ghosts of the divisive past that New Labour set out to consign to history’s trash heap reared their heads, presaging a politics that would cast off the Blairite technocratic order.”
Review: Adele Lim’s ‘Joy Ride’
“A rollicking good time that pulls disparate pieces together for a sex-positive exploration of family, friendship and identity.”
‘We’re All Going to the World’s Fair’: Time, Loneliness and the Internet
“‘We’re All Going to the World’s Fair’ prefers the space between categories. This position facilitates a unique experience of time, much like the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Review: Léa Mysius’ ‘The Five Devils’
“‘The Five Devils,’ co-written and directed by French filmmaker Léa Mysius, burns bright with its cerebral story about female relationships.”
Review: Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City’
“As carefully controlled as every shot typically is for one of Anderson’s films, this is the most alive behind the wheel he has felt as a purely comic filmmaker in quite some time.”
Forbidden Worlds Film Festival: ‘Cliffhanger,’ Sylvester Stallone and Realism
“‘Cliffhanger’ is emblematic of a specific kind of big-budget Hollywood blockbuster that was very much in vogue at the time: dumb, full of testosterone and British villains.”
Review: Ted Geoghegan’s ‘Brooklyn 45’
“‘Brooklyn 45’ is what happens when an experienced filmmaker finds their voice and brings everything together.”
Review: Charlotte Le Bon’s ‘Falcon Lake’
“Falcon Lake’s funereal tone may be a bit too emo for some, but for those willing to get swept up in its dark splendor, Le Bon’s film is a remarkably shrewd debut.”
Review: Joaquin del Paso’s ‘The Hole in the Fence’
“‘The Hole in the Fence’ functions as a voice for the voiceless; it’s a rallying cry for Mexican youths who don’t automatically drink the Kool-Aid made by high society snobs.”
Review: Alex Andre’s ‘Pratfall’
“‘Pratfall’ is a sobering study of fate, unprocessed emotional trauma and The Big Apple as an unforgiving Big Bad.”
Crime Scene #4: ‘Amsterdamned’ – The City Is Always Sinking
“‘Amsterdamned’ can’t decide if it wants to embrace those who interact with the city or kill them, and this contradiction is part of the film’s slimy, schlocky charm.”
An Interview with ‘Lords of Lockdown’ Filmmaker Mihir Fadnavis
‘Lords of Lockdown’ Interview: Dipankar Sarkar discusses the 2022 documentary with filmmaker Mihir Fadnavis.
Review: Nicole Holofcener’s ‘You Hurt My Feelings’
“Nicole Holofcener’s 2023 film is witty, grounded and surprisingly uplifting.”
Review: Ryan Stevens Harris’ ‘Moon Garden’
“More than just another dream-state drama, ‘Moon Garden’ is a moving ode to mother-daughter bonds.”
Review: Joe Lo Truglio’s ‘Outpost’
“‘Outpost’ is an auspicious introduction to Lo Truglio the filmmaker and suggests great things are to come for him. Based on this evidence alone, his leading lady should also have plenty more opportunities to lead a charge in the future.”
Review: Srđan Keča’s ‘Museum of the Revolution’
“‘Museum of the Revolution’ has no moral or artistic responsibility to provide answers. But when almost none of these contemporary films even attempt to imagine an answer, one has to wonder where exactly we’re going wrong.”
Review: Theodore Schaefer’s ‘Giving Birth to a Butterfly’
“‘Giving Birth to a Butterfly’ progressively improves from act to act, due to a cohesive narrative structure, strong character development and the director’s willingness to get weird.”