“In ‘Nitram,’ even the simplest domestic scenes inside the Bryant family home seem to have had the light and life sucked from them. And even in the film’s gentlest moments, Kurzel never lets the audience forget the film’s hopeless destination.”
The Art of the Score #3: Blake Howard on Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Logan Lucky’
“‘The Long Walk,’ the latest from Mattie Do — Laos’ first and, so far, only female director — understands that for time travel to make sense, all one has to do is present it as is. For Do, it’s a feeling more than a fact.”
“Throughout ‘Fresh,’ Cave shows a sophisticated command of the screw-turning suspense in the material and the milieu.”
“The same way our minds shift under the influence of drugs, so too do they shift under the influence of new information, new truths. The higher the walls, the taller the ladders people will build to overcome them.”
“Carole Lombard’s performances — even when placed in manic films such as ‘Twentieth Century’ — are so often understated that you barely even notice half of the choices made.”
“The Adams Family continues to evolve as a DIY filmmaking unit… In 10 years, ‘Hellbender’ will probably be viewed as the hit before THE HIT.”
Berlin Critics’ Week: Soham Gadre on the Losing Transmissions Program (‘Notes for a Déjà Vu’, ‘The Dream and the Radio’)
“The generation that had fought the war was confronting the generation that had overseen it, staging a sub-rosa assault on entrenched power.” – D.M. Palmer on ‘Patterns,’ ‘The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit’ and ‘The Apartment’
Nicole Rodenburg Interview: A conversation about movie collecting with Vague Visages contributor Greg Carlson.
“‘King Knight’ isn’t terribly substantial overall, with much of the central premise built on being weird for weird’s sake.”
“‘Maqbool’ leaves the audience with that extraordinary feeling only a few Hindi films have the ability to achieve – it’s both profoundly satisfying and artistically existential.”
“By dint of the fact that ‘Rimini’ showcases such a vast gulf between performance and direction, Seidl’s return to fictional filmmaking is, if nothing else, hugely interesting.”
“‘Cosmic Dawn’ isn’t a bad film, it’s just not better than anything that’s already been made by the filmmaking team of Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij (‘Sound of My Voice’, ‘The East,’ ‘The OA’).”
The Art of the Score #2: Blake Howard on Spike Lee’s ‘Inside Man’
“The lighthearted slice-of-life storytelling in ‘Girl Picture’ gives viewers a healthy sampling of what Haapasalo has to offer and, ultimately, a fulfilling and effervescent exploration of teenage sexuality.”
‘Assault’ Interview: Fedor Tot discusses the 2022 film with filmmaker Adilkhan Yerzhanov.
“Stigter’s direction transforms ‘Three Minutes: A Lengthening’ into so much more than a historical lesson on atrocity and genocide.”
There Is No Try: Documenting the Silicon Valley Mindset | D.M. Palmer on ‘The Inventor, ‘Fyre,’ ‘Fyre Fraud’ and ‘WeWork: or The Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn’
“‘Ferroequinology’ is a magical piece of self-reflexive work that arguably reveals more about the documentarian than its subjects.”