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.”
Review: Sidharth Srinivasan’s ‘Kriya’
“Unfortunately, Kriya’s script is the weakest link. Much of the dialogue sounds like it was lifted straight from a soap opera, and the film occasionally veers into melodrama, which isn’t particularly becoming for a folk horror film set almost entirely in a single location.”
The Private Month: A New Generation of NYU Filmmakers Creatively Address the COVID-19 Pandemic
“For the next generation of filmmakers, documenting these strange times has just begun, and, thankfully, it’s going to be a physically distant but socially collaborative enterprise.”
An Interview With ‘Tales from Our Childhood’ Director Mukul Haloi
Dipankar Sarkar Interviews ‘Tales from Our Childhood’ Director Mukul Haloi
Memories of Place in Sofia Coppola’s ‘The Virgin Suicides’
“Although the events in ‘The Virgin Suicides’ may not be presented through an innately nostalgic lens, they become a binding source of nostalgia by viewing the film 20 years after its initial wide release.”
Review: Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’
“With ‘Tenet,’ Nolan evolves as a surrealist director, yet his writing style does not similarly advance.”
‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’: Charlie Kaufman Knows You Can’t Always Get What You Want
“Point of view and selfhood have assumed for Kaufman a place of great consequence from ‘Being John Malkovich’ to ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ to ‘Anomalisa,’ and ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ is a remarkable extension.”
Album Review: Hurts ‘Faith’
“‘Faith’ is too misguided and confused to be an actively cynical undertaking, but its desperate rush to the lowest common denominator in a bid for the broadest appeal is still nakedly apparent.”