Review: Heather Ross’ ‘For Madmen Only: The Stories of Del Close’
“‘For Madmen Only’ is essential viewing for comedy and improvisation hounds, but Ross must be praised for her ability to appeal to general audiences as well as hardcore scholars.”
Review: Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin’s ‘Together’
“‘Together’ is a monotonous affair with little to add to either the pandemic or relationship genre.”
EIFF 2021 Documentary Reviews
EIFF 2021: Vague Visages’ Marc Nelson on the documentaries Bosco, The Gig Is Up, Faceless and Radiograph of a Family.
EIFF Review: Chloé Mazlo’s ‘Skies of Lebanon’
“‘Skies of Lebanon’ asks slightly too much of its actors; the switch-up from animation and deliberate artificiality to fine-grained historical drama demands a change in style that results in the performers having to pull in two directions at once…”
Review: Natalie Morales’ ‘Plan B’
“‘Plan B’ is a rare bird in that it gets better as it goes along. So many movies in the teensploitation tradition start strong and quickly run out of gas.”
EIFF Review: Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha’s ‘Ballad of a White Cow’
“‘Ballad of a White Cow’ has a knack for creative and unexpected camera placements, expressive touches in staging and layered use of sound design.”
Review: Kaouther Ben Hania’s ‘The Man Who Sold His Skin’
“‘The Man Who Sold His Skin’ gets a little too didactic with its final act messaging, but the strong central performances make the overall experience worthwhile.”
Memory and Style: The Threads of a Collective Experience in Marcel Ophuls’ ‘The Sorrow and the Pity’
“‘The Sorrow and the Pity’ is surgical and functional, yet unquestionably a reflection of the imagination of an artist.”
Sarajevo Film Festival Review: Marija Zidar’s ‘Reconciliation’
“‘Reconciliation’ exists in a curious middle ground, stuck between the effectiveness of its craft and touching, humanist storytelling and the wider narrative desires that pull both artists and audiences to these stories.”
Review: Jessie Barr’s ‘Sophie Jones’
“Those who have faced tremendous or even overwhelming emotional hurricanes following the death of a close friend or family member will appreciate the movement of time in ‘Sophie Jones.'”
Review: Eddie Arya’s ‘Risen’
“‘Risen’ won’t fare well with impatient streamers. Writer-director Eddie Arya should be applauded for his creative ambition, but even the most forward-thinking filmmakers need strong performances to sell their product.”
The Two Most Dangerous Men in America: ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back’ at 20
“‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back’ is joyful and silly, colorful and wacky, with a surprisingly sweet core — broken down to its basest form, this is a film about friendship and, at a push, the importance of owning your IP.”
Review: Sean Penn’s ‘Flag Day’
“‘Flag Day’ refuses to ponder challenging ideas but still wants its viewers to be moved.”
Fantasia Fest Review: Ruth Platt’s ‘Martyrs Lane’
“Hopefully, as the horror genre continues to grow and deepen, it won’t lose sight of itself as ‘Martyrs Lane’ sadly does.”
Review: Billie Piper’s ‘Rare Beasts’
“Between ‘Rare Beasts’ and Alice Lowe’s brilliant ‘Prevenge,’ there might be a burgeoning market for pregnancy-themed horror movies.”
Review: Sian Heder’s ‘CODA’
“Though Coda’s representation of deaf characters is insightful and moving, the film’s reliance on cheap sentimentality threatens its most perceptive and entertaining qualities.”
WOMAN: At the Heart of James Cameron’s Filmmaking
“If you’re looking for feminism, don’t look at James Cameron — look at his films.”
Review: Sian Heder’s ‘CODA’
“Even though the comic juxtapositions can be as broad as the side of a barn in ‘CODA,’ the familial conflicts on the flip side of the coin resonate with hard truths.”
Review: Ira Deutchman’s ‘Searching for Mr. Rugoff’
“In today’s world of carefully crafted film industry personas, ‘Searching for Mr. Rugoff’ stands out with its character study about an art house fanatic who embraced the beautiful chaos of being a curious cinephile.”
Fantasia Fest Review: Paul Andrew Williams’ ‘Bull’
“Williams’ reliance on violence doesn’t transgress in ‘Bull,’ it merely toes the line. Imagine what he could do if he really let himself go.”