Review: Massoud Bakhshi’s ‘Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness’
“‘Yalda’ shows itself to be a deft treatise on how the contradictions of our modern world complicate something even as simple as saying sorry.”
Review: Darius Marder’s ‘Sound of Metal’
“Watching Ahmed flourish without words, typically an actor’s lifeline, is a joy. It’s a massive challenge, and he rises to it with aplomb in ‘Sound of Metal.'”
An Interview with ‘Dolly Kitty & Those Twinkling Stars’ Filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava
Dipankar Sarkar Interviews ‘Dolly Kitty & Those Twinkling Stars’ Filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava
Review: Ryan Spindell’s ‘The Mortuary Collection’
“Spindell pays homage to many horror productions, yet his film is its own uniquely strange, inventive, entertaining and frequently frightening little monster.”
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.”
The Cinematic Lineage of Quentin Dupieux’s ‘Deerskin’
“Deerskin’s methodology might be new, but the central tenets of its 77 minutes are part of the same cinematic heritage that created Jim McBride’s indie darling ‘David Holzman’s Diary’ (1967) and Krzysztof Kieslowski’s ‘Camera Buff’ (1979).”
Review: Scott Crawford’s ‘CREEM: America’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Magazine’
“There was nothing else like ‘CREEM’ back then, and there’s still nothing like it now. That’s not only a testament to the importance of the magazine, it’s also a sad commentary on what’s lacking in modern music criticism.”
Interview: Kôji Fukada on the Mysteries of ‘A Girl Missing’
Marshall Shaffer Interviews ‘A Girl Missing’ Director Kôji Fukada
Different Places: Jeffrey McHale’s ‘You Don’t Nomi’ Dances with the Legacy of ‘Showgirls’
“I was taken with You Don’t Nomi’s comfortable attitude toward the complexity and ambiguity of a text that can support and sustain such wildly opposite readings.”
Review: Lynne Ramsay’s ‘Brigitte’
“‘Brigitte’ is a slight and sweet addition to Ramsay’s catalogue, and it gently leaves its impressions.”
Review: Claire Oakley’s ‘Make Up’
“When ‘Make Up’ reaches the light at the end of its twisted tunnel, its culmination is gratifying and sumptuously-realised.”
An Interview with ‘Eeb Allay Ooo!’ Director Prateek Vats
Dipankar Sarkar Interviews ‘Eeb Allay Ooo!’ Director Prateek Vats
Review: Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Parasite’ (Black and White Edition)
“The black and white edition of ‘Parasite’ is a gift, and the real beacon shining brightly in the dark.”
Album Review: Taylor Swift ‘Folklore’
“In its unadorned beauty, immense empathy and self-awareness, ‘Folklore’ might be Swift’s best shot at immortality so far.”
Review: Joko Anwar’s ‘Impetigore’
“Indonesian horror has been gradually finding its feet over the past few years, and ‘Impetigore’ shows that we’ve barely even scratched the surface.”
A Stirring Tale of Friendship: Kelly Reichardt’s ‘First Cow’
“Behold the elegance and oft-cited aesthetic minimalism with which Reichardt unfolds so many thoughts and ideas about race, representation and gender.”
Review: Jeffrey A. Brown’s ‘The Beach House’
“‘The Beach House’ signals an exciting new star in horror.”
Review: Shannon Murphy’s ‘Babyteeth’
“Much of Babyteeth’s vitality can be located in the way each of the central characters is so fully realized.”
Review: Ina Weisse’s ‘The Audition’
“‘The Audition’ considers how we navigate the middle space between power and powerlessness, and Hoss’ performance, whether she’s yearning for affection or responsible for staggering brutality, is the film’s greatest asset.”
Review: Abel Ferrara’s ‘Tommaso’
“‘Tommaso’ shows Ferrara taking his career in a new direction, and it’s nice to see someone of his stature still making innovative, daring films.”