Glasgow Film Festival Review: Peter Hedges’ ‘Ben Is Back’
“Even if ‘Ben is Back’ tries a little too hard to ramp up the stakes, the fact remains that Hedges and Roberts’ performances make for an incredibly powerful on-screen relationship.”
Vague Visages Short Stories: Bunk Bed by Georgia Luckhurst
Vague Visages Short Stories #14: Bunk Bed by Georgia Luckhurst
Attack the Headlines: How Joe Cornish’s Films Subvert Gloomy British News Stories
“That Cornish has managed to make two films that can easily be viewed as thoughtful ruminations on the state of Britain in the centre of two national crises should be applauded.”
Glasgow Film Festival Review: Kei Chikaura’s ‘Complicity’
“A rare co-production between China and Japan, ‘Complicity’ is a timely feature that fits perfectly in our current political climate, especially as Chikaura urges viewers to lend a helping hand despite the most unfavourable circumstances.”
Glasgow Film Festival Review: Li Cheng’s ‘José’
“‘José’ depicts a toxic environment where no one can love freely, where relationships are doomed to sink and where looking at the sky can only offer a fickle joy lasting as briefly as fireworks during a hot summer night.”
Review: Frant Gwo’s ‘The Wandering Earth’
“If ‘The Wandering Earth’ is China’s first step in big budget space adventure, it promises a giant leap not far down the line.”
An Exploration of Bonds, Losses and Resilience in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Family Dramas
“Kore-eda has the caring, loving eyes of a father who cannot help but follow all his children walking hand in hand towards the horizon.”
A Distinct Vision: On Naoko Yamada’s ‘Liz and the Blue Bird’ and ‘A Silent Voice’
“Few animated films look like Yamada productions, fewer still feel like them.”
Review: Camille Vidal-Naquet’s ‘Sauvage / Wild’
“‘Sauvage’ emerges in the context of ‘BPM (Beats Per Minute)’ as a darker, grittier cousin. Both tell physically intimate stories, but where ‘BPM (Beats Per Minute)’ brims with romance, anger and sheer joy, ‘Sauvage’ has a harder edge and leaves more of a bitter taste.”
The Kids Aren’t Alright: A Preview of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2019
Marshall Shaffer on Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2019
IFFR 2019 Bright Future Review: Virgil Vernier’s ‘Sophia Antipolis’
“‘Sophia Antipolis’ is not a movie that will be easily digested outside of movie theaters, as it goes mostly for an aesthetic experience rather than a plot-driven story.”
IFFR 2019 Bright Future Review: Brunna Laboissière’s ‘Fabiana’
“Documentaries always warrant ethical questions about the narrative process, and Laboissière is impressively restrained with her direction.”
IFFR 2019 Bright Future Review: Brian Follmer’s ‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’
“‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’ finds a solidly affecting balance of lightheartedness, satire and true, resonant emotion in its final 20 minutes…”
IFFR 2019: An Interview with ‘We’re All Sailors’ Filmmaker Miguel Ángel Moulet and Cinematographer Camilo Soratti
Yoana Pavlova Interviews ‘We’re All Sailors’ Filmmaker Miguel Ángel Moulet and Cinematographer Camilo Soratti
Hope and Despair: Paul Schrader’s ‘First Reformed’ Screenplay
“For Paul Schrader, First Reformed’s visual style realizes ideas of transcendental style that he first theorized at the beginning of his career. But that style only works because it serves the story and character he crafted so carefully.”
‘Happy Death Day 2U’ Drops the Scares, Doubles Down on Sci-Fi
“‘Happy Death Day 2U’ is a light sci-fi movie with the thinnest veneer of horror, and your enjoyment of the film will depend on your willingness to accept its geeky premise and nonexistent scare factor.”
Sundance 2019 Review: A.J. Eaton’s ‘David Crosby: Remember My Name’
“‘Director A.J. Eaton’s rock star biography ‘David Crosby: Remember My Name’ checks all the boxes of the lion-in-winter music documentary.”
Double Consciousness: Spike Lee’s ‘BlacKkKlansman’
“‘BlacKkKlansman,’ fairly or not, will be judged as Lee’s ‘comeback’ movie. He never really left, of course.”
Robert Rodriguez’s ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ Falls Short
“Rodriguez’s battle scenes and the performance capture acting of Rosa Salazar (Alita) are shining aspects of the film, but not enough to render it praiseworthy overall.”
Berlinale 2019 Review: Rob Garver’s ‘What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael’
“Garver doesn’t really provide more than an overview, but perhaps that will indeed bring new eyes to some great American writing.”