Review: Vivian Kleiman’s ‘No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics’
“One of the most enjoyable aspects of ‘No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics’ is evident again and again in the close-knit support shared among the ‘elder statespeople.'”
Review: Tom McCarthy’s ‘Stillwater’
“By wrestling with questions of identity, politics and home in a bewitching fashion, ‘Stillwater’ refuses to belittle and judge its characters, and challenges viewers to do the same.”
A Quest for Happiness: On Neil Jordan’s ‘Mona Lisa’
“‘Mona Lisa’ was ahead of its time, a precursor of urban fairy tales in late 90s British cinema.”
Collecting Movies with Conor Holt
Greg Carlson Interviews Conor Holt About Movie Collecting
The Endless Yearning in Mani Kaul’s ‘Ashad Ka Ek Din’
“Fifty years since its release, ‘Ashad Ka Ek Din’ holds on to its Bressonian and austere power.”
Review: Carlos López Estrada’s ‘Summertime’
“‘Summertime’ feels wrong-headed, even if its heart is in the right place.”
Review: M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Old’
“While ‘Old’ never quite fully connects emotionally, the themes inherent in the story help lend the movie the depth it doesn’t get from the performances”
The Rediscovered: Bertrand Bonello’s ‘Ingrid Caven: Music and Voice’
“In Paris on a night in 2012, or from a screen in 2021, one may see in Ingrid Caven’s ecstatic performance something that touches the raptures.”
Review: Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s ‘Kandisha’
“Bustillo and Maury are masters of the slow build, and so it goes in ‘Kandisha,’ which becomes incrementally nastier and gorier with each new victim the vengeful spirit eliminates…”
‘That Sinking Feeling’ and a Very Scottish Heist
“At a time when on-screen Scotland was mostly shown to be either Ken Loach or ‘Brigadoon,’ ‘That Sinking Feeling’ manages to be its own thing…”
Review: Michael Sarnoski’s ‘Pig’
“A soulful lead performance and assured direction showcases Cage’s indelible ability to make the silly into the poignant.”
Emma Seligman’s ‘Shiva Baby’ and the Art of Comic Discomfort
“‘Shiva Baby’ is most certainly not a movie for those who get clammy and start to sweat at secondhand embarrassment.”
‘The House Is Black’ and The Radical Spirit of Forugh Farrokhzad
“Much like Farrokhzad’s poems, ‘The House Is Black’ pushes the viewer and its subjects to strive for some kind of freedom, whether emotional, spiritual or political.”
‘Cotton Comes to Harlem’ – The Neo-Noir That Black America Needed
“At first blush, ‘Cotton Comes to Harlem’ may not seem like a traditional noir production. But over time, the 1970 film has become one of the most vivid examples of the genre being inclusive.”
Cannes Film Festival Review: C.B Yi’s ‘Moneyboys’
“‘Moneyboys’ is the first of a planned thematic trilogy from Yi, which is good news — this is the kind of promising debut that will make audiences eager to see what he does next.”
Cannes Film Festival Review: Kira Kovalenko’s ‘Unclenching the Fists’
“‘Unclenching the Fists’ is a haunting watch, but a substantial one; a movie that will move Kovalenko up to the next tier of filmmakers in the arthouse and festival circuit.”
Review: Joe Raffa’s ‘Downeast’
“Even though ‘Downeast’ suffers from thinly-written supporting characters, the lead performances keep the film above water.”
Review: François Ozon’s ‘Summer of 85’
“‘Summer of 85’ is a well-designed coming-of-age work that makes for a sentimental and sensual drama, even if it fails to meet its potential.”
Cannes Film Festival Review: Teodora Mihai’s ‘La Civil’
“‘La Civil’ excels as a character study of a woman putting herself in considerable danger to find her daughter — but when viewed as a crime procedural, the necessity of relying on various tropes does the film a disservice.”
Review: Cate Shortland’s ‘Black Widow’
“Shortland brings her keen feature filmmaking chops to ‘Black Widow’ as a welcome addition to the talented pool of storytellers who can match the Kevin Feige house style without any significant artistic compromise.”