Review: Rama Rau’s ‘Honey Bee’
“Stone, who’s barely in her twenties, is truly exceptional in the lead role. Her naturalistic ‘Honey Bee’ performance is as raw as an exposed nerve.”
Ben Wheatley’s ‘Rebecca’: There’s Nothing Behind the Wallpaper
“‘Rebecca’ feels sanded out, erased of all imperfection, identity and mystery.”
Review: Sofia Coppola’s ‘On the Rocks’
“Coppola has always shown an affinity for mixing laughter and introspection, and ‘On the Rocks’ successfully deploys the strategy.”
An Interview with ‘Dolly Kitty & Those Twinkling Stars’ Filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava
Dipankar Sarkar Interviews ‘Dolly Kitty & Those Twinkling Stars’ Filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava
Beat Cops: Police Brutality and Film Noir
“Otto Preminger’s ‘Where the Sidewalk Ends’ and Nicholas Ray’s ‘On Dangerous Ground’ gesture towards the difficult conditions under which police labor while turning a critical eye on the brutally violent detectives who abuse their power.”
Have None, Will Travel: The Villainy of Economics in ‘Blood on the Moon’
“There’s a dark warning at the heart of ‘Blood on the Moon’ that still rings true today.”
The Modern Netherworld of Akira Kurosawa’s ‘The Bad Sleep Well’
“Kurosawa was rarely more bitter and dejected than he is here, crafting a sprawling noir tragedy from Shakespeare’s text, grappling desperately with identity in the nightmare of faceless modernity.”
Romantic Horror in ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ Movie Adaptations
“The six major theatrical adaptations of Phantom’s story cover a wide realm of romantic horror, fully exploiting the themes and concepts within the character.”
‘Santa Sangre’: A Graveyard for Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Memories
“Santa Sangre’s themes of empathy and hope are uniquely personal for Jodorowsky, and they help bring the film’s horrors and bloodshed into perspective…”
An Interview with ‘Class of ’83’ Director Atul Sabharwal
Dipankar Sarkar Interviews ‘Class of ’83’ Director Atul Sabharwal
Austin Film Festival Review: Michael Lovan’s ‘Murder Bury Win’
“‘Murder Bury Win’ never runs out of steam, remaining consistently witty, unpredictable and super fun throughout.”
London Film Festival Review: Steve McQueen’s ‘Lovers Rock’
“‘Lovers Rock’ becomes something truly special whenever all sense of plot and character falls away entirely.”
London Film Festival Review: Damiano and Fabio D’Innocenzo’s ‘Bad Tales’
“Damiano and Fabio D’Innocenzo’s second feature, ‘Bad Tales,’ is morbidly curious and content to simmer in its own pessimism.”
London Film Festival Review: Francis Lee’s ‘Ammonite’
“Lee has, over his two films so far, proven a dab hand at teasing out unexpressed, furtive desires, depicting both the visceral emotions and gritty physicality of same-sex romance with empathy and an understated artistic flair.”
London Film Festival Review: Michel Franco’s ‘New Order’
“By the time Franco joins together strands that the audience will most likely have seen coming, ‘New Order’ grinds to a halt.”
London Film Festival Review: Harry Macqueen’s ‘Supernova’
“‘Supernova’ is a film that many will cherish if audiences can be absorbed by the overt metaphors and can look beyond the Rich White Male vantage point.”
London Film Festival Review: Jennifer Sheridan’s ‘Rose’
“Many British micro-productions focus on Britain’s mud. ‘Rose’Â shows us the frost.”
Encounters Film Festival: ‘Betty’ and the Failed Romance Movie
“‘Betty,’ through the simplest of guises — bare-bones animation, a bit of music and a wry, haphazard director’s commentary — is an impressive feat of doing a lot with extremely little.”
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.”