Fantasy and Reality in Ben Hozie’s ‘PVT Chat’
“Hozie nails the greener-grass metaphor in ‘PVT Chat’ with a clarity that reminded me of the last lines of James Joyce’s ‘Araby.'”
Interview with ‘1232 KMS’ Director Vinod Kapri
Dipankar Sarkar Interviews ‘1232 KMS’ Director Vinod Kapri
Review: Chris Baugh’s ‘Boys from County Hell’
“‘Boys from County Hell’ isn’t really about vampires so much as it’s about being proud of where you come from, and of the bonds forged there.”
Review: Samantha Stark’s ‘Framing Britney Spears’
“The best aspects of ‘Framing Britney Spears’ are implicit while the least effective parts are explicit. And in the absence of a direct commentary from Spears, Stark surely could have used more evenhanded and considerate interview subjects.”
Arrow Review: Justin McConnell’s ‘Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business’
“‘Clapboard Jungle’ could not only benefit up-and-coming filmmakers, but also young writers who are serious about pursuing a career in film criticism. Passion isn’t enough. You need to understand the business side of it all…”
Book Review: Peter Conrad’s ‘The Mysteries of Cinema’
“‘The Mysteries of Cinema’ is not really an argument about film’s essential qualities, but a collage of similarities, preoccupations and obsessions that drive not just its filmmakers, but seem to consume the medium itself.”
Interview with ‘The Mortuary Collection’ Writer-Director Ryan Spindell
Joey Keogh Interviews ‘The Mortuary Collection’ Writer-Director Ryan Spindell
Netflix Review: Ryuichi Hiroki’s ‘Ride or Die’
“Plenty of double-themed movies have been made over the years, but ‘Ride or Die’ seems like an ideal companion piece to ‘Persona.’ Both films are sexually provocative, and both require multiple viewings to better understand the perspectives of each female protagonist.”
Interview with ‘The Mortuary Collection’ Actor Clancy Brown
Joey Keogh Interviews ‘The Mortuary Collection’ Actor Clancy Brown
Interview with ‘Jakob’s Wife’ Director Travis Stevens
Joey Keogh Interviews ‘Jakob’s Wife’ Director Travis Stevens
Interview with ‘Jakob’s Wife’ Actress Bonnie Aarons
Joey Keogh Interviews ‘Jakob’s Wife’ Actress Bonnie Aarons
Review: Travis Stevens’ ‘Jakob’s Wife’
“Aside from being a furiously feminist film, ‘Jakob’s Wife’ is mordantly funny, gruesomely gory and gloriously unpredictable.”
‘Valentina’: Cássio Pereira dos Santos’ Refreshing Debut Feature on Brazil’s Trans Youth
“Though somewhat imperfect, Pereira dos Santos’ first feature shows promise and is a testament to his ability to portray queer characters with granular subtlety and political meaning.”
Netflix Review: Hoon-Jung Park’s ‘Night in Paradise’
“‘Night in Paradise’ isn’t the ideal movie for locked-down streamers, but it’s one that challenges audiences to find silver linings in dark life experiences.”
Embracing Imperfection: ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ Turns 20
“‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ is heartbreaking and life-affirming in equal measure, which is a difficult balance to pull off, particularly in a movie that frequently treats its protagonist quite harshly.”
The Master’s Voice: Gregory Monro’s ‘Kubrick by Kubrick’
“‘Kubrick by Kubrick’ has the effect of placing the notoriously particular and media-shy subject in the room with the eager listener/viewer.”
Netflix Review: ‘This Is a Robbery: The World’s Greatest Art Heist’
“With ‘This Is a Robbery,’ Barnicle manages to pinpoint what probably happened at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum on St. Patty’s Day 1990 while amplifying the long-term mystery.”
VVoices: Best Space Horror Films
VVoices #5: Film Critics List the Best Space Horror Movies
Why Criticism: The Difficulties of Depicting Genocide in ‘Quo Vadis, Aida?’ and ‘La Llorona’
“Roger Ebert once wrote ‘it’s not what a film is about, it’s how it is about it,’ and it’s this phrase that I usually return to when thinking about cinema that deals with humanity’s worst impulses.”
Caught in a Bad Romance: On Psychological Horror and Visual Design in ‘Nina Wu’
“‘Nina Wu’ isn’t just a ‘#MeToo thriller’ or ‘slow burn cinema,’ it’s a progressive spin on psychological horror and a master class in visceral visual design.”