Album Review: Jónsi ‘Shiver’
“While Cook clearly has his hands on deck operating the machinery, the closing tracks make clear that it’s still Jónsi steering the ship, as impish and wholeheartedly earnest as ever.”
Interview With ‘Raat Akeli Hai’ Screenwriter Smita Singh
Dipankar Sarkar Interviews ‘Raat Akeli Hai’ Screenwriter Smita Singh
The Gothic Splendour of Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rebecca’
“Rebecca’s greatness stems from its faithful approach to the Gothic roots of du Maurier’s novel, foregrounding all of the most important themes like repression of the past and marriages full of conflict.”
Encounters Film Festival: Science Fiction and Islam Meet in ‘So What If the Goats Die?’
“How much is our response conditioned by our willingness to see causality in correlation, regardless of the original artistic intention?”
In Praise of 90s Gwyneth Paltrow
“It’s easy to feel a sense of loss for the great actress and movie star that Paltrow could have become, had she not lost interest in the profession and shifted her attention to her questionable business empire.”
Review: Kirsten Johnson’s ‘Dick Johnson Is Dead’
“Johnson brilliantly arranges and organizes the vignettes that account for her unique ‘living obituary.'”
Local Heroes: Alistair Ryder on Odeon Leeds-Bradford
“If the cinema was responsible for so many happy childhood memories, how could I continue to embrace reminiscing when it was equally responsible for the soul-crushing tedium of a public-facing retail job?”
Shudder Slashics: Buddy Cooper’s ‘The Mutilator’ Still Boasts a Killer Hook
“Having the killer unmasked and identified is a fresh take on a well-worn trope, while the accidental matricide angle offers a unique, strong premise to kick-start the eventual mini-massacre.”
Encounters Film Festival: The Importance of Geopolitics, Poverty and Donkeys in ‘The Heavy Burden’
“Whether it is economic, ethnic or geopolitical, ‘The Heavy Burden’ keeps finding new ways to frame the marginal life of its protagonists.”
Album Review: Sufjan Stevens ‘The Ascension’
“At its heart, ‘The Ascension’ examines disillusionment and loss of faith – not in God, but in America.”
Encounters Film Festival: Troubled Pasts and Open Futures Collide in ‘Father’
“In just 23 minutes, ‘Vader’ presents a nuanced and complex picture of fatherhood, as shaped by both individual personalities and wider social events.”
Time Cascades: On the Absent Collaborators Programme at Open City Documentary Festival
“These tentative, tangential films each act like a pause for reflection, a moment of reprieve from life itself as the makers each summon a voice from their past to explore their present.”
Review: Chloé Zhao’s ‘Nomadland’
“Zhao’s style is evocative but accepting.”
Miranda July Mints ‘Kajillionaire’
“Never weird for the sake of weird, July’s movies are perfectly prismatic, refracting facets of recognizable life experiences through the singularity and peculiarity of her vision.”
Unpacking the Red Rooms of Horror
“The Red Room is something to conquer or contend with, just like the monsters of the real world.”
Review: Luis Iga’s ‘Murder in the Woods’
“‘Murder in the Woods’ is a slight but entertaining offering, sold completely and committedly by a talented cast of fresh, new faces and with a bonus appearance by the always-welcome Danny Trejo to boot.”
How ‘Showgirls’ Takes Busby Berkeley to the City of Sin
“Where Berkeley uses excess as a contrast to the real world, Verhoeven uses it as a magnifying glass.”
Open Spaces, Solid Foundations: ‘The American Sector’ and ‘The Building’ at Open City Documentary Festival
“While ‘The American Sector’ outstays its welcome, I’m not sure if ‘The Building’ wants to be invited in to begin with.”
‘She Dies Tomorrow’: Amy Seimetz Contemplates the End
“Even though Seimetz’s ‘ideological contagion’ might have its roots in coping strategies for depression and a range of mental health issues, the director works wonders by imagining how one might react upon learning about their imminent death.”
Formative: Zomby ‘One Foot Ahead of the Other’ (2009)
“Zomby’s tracks were more exciting when plugged straight into my head. His music enlightened me to how euphoric and pleasurable 8-bit sounds can be, especially when they are used not for kicks, but to project melancholy and strangeness.”