Cannes Film Festival Review: Pedro Pinho’s ‘I Only Rest in the Storm’
“‘I Only Rest in the Storm’ is a succinctly angry film in large part because Pinho knows it doesn’t offer a reassuring explanation about its myriad themes.”
Review: Ben Petrie’s ‘The Heirloom’
“‘The Heirloom’ doesn’t follow a conventional climactic structure, and its brittle, dry humor and abstract tone may not appeal to everyone. However, Petrie’s inventive vision is admirable…”
On Dark and Lonely Waters: PIFs and Rural Landscapes as Sites of Danger
“Public Information Films, once tools for instruction, became haunted reflections of a nation’s growing uncertainty and discontent…”
Review: Tom Carroll’s ‘The Stress Is Killing Me’
“By the end of Carroll’s frustrating and stylistically unambitious film, it seems that there was a deeper, more interesting story just out of reach.”
Review: Maurice O’Carroll’s ‘Swing Bout’
“‘Swing Bout’ doesn’t establish enough of a backstory for any of the key players for them to register beyond the individual performances…”
Review: Dan Rocque and Kassandra Voss’ ‘Crawdaddy’
“Perhaps if ‘Crawdaddy’ played into the idea of an unremarkably ordinary man becoming a sex symbol for comedy, the sillier tone elsewhere wouldn’t feel as disparate from the rest.”
Review: Joel Potrykus Embraces Change with ‘Vulcanizadora’
“‘Vulcanizadora’ is an astonishing coming-of-age tale for adults-in-crisis.”
Review: Alexis Langlois’ ‘Queens of Drama’
“Unapologetically queer, sexy, messy and celebratory all at once, by refusing to conform to mainstream norms and instead leaning into the chaos, ‘Queens of Drama’ is utterly transcendent.”
Review: Rob Tregenza’s ‘The Fishing Place’
“It’s a shame that the conversations ‘The Fishing Place’ will provoke just might be far more substantial than anything within the film itself.”
Too Terrified to Log Off: 10 Years Later, ‘Unfriended’ Is Still Ruthlessly Effective
“Taken purely as a cheap thrills style horror movie, ‘Unfriended’ is hugely effective. But as an unflinching denouncement of peer pressure and cyberbullying, it’s downright terrifying.”
The Unforgiving Concrete: Lodge Kerrigan’s Cinema of Estrangement
“In Lodge Kerrigan’s first three features, he asks audiences to consider those left in the wake of his central characters…”
Short Film Review: Chloé Groussard and Julie Pacheco’s ‘Manucure 24/24’
“‘Manucure 24/24’ betrays the formula of so many short film productions, as the filmmakers fully embrace the task at hand with a vibrant color palette, a catchy needle-drop and an always-relevant feminist message.”
Short Film Review: Marcellus Cox’s ‘Liquor Bank’
“‘Liquor Bank’ is a fine example of economical indie filmmaking.”
Review: Alex Braverman’s ‘Thank You Very Much’
“‘Thank You Very Much’ separates itself from previous Kaufman documentaries in the way the director directly confronts the correlation between an artist’s childhood trauma and creative outlook as an adult.”
Building the New Queer Canon #3: Olmo Schnabel’s ‘Pet Shop Days’
“The biggest problem with ‘Pet Shop Days’ is the extent to which it feels indebted to both an earlier wave of rebellious LGBTQ cinema and current trends in American independent filmmaking, never finding a distinct identity beyond homage.”
Review: Shal Ngo’s ‘Control Freak’
“‘Control Freak’ is a timely example of a modern horror film that doesn’t resonate with general audiences but appeals to worldwide film critics through its performances and overall quality.”
Building the New Queer Canon #2: Bruce LaBruce’s ‘The Visitor’
“In contemporary queer cinema, there isn’t a work like ‘The Visitor’ that’s even dared to tackle the wider-ranging relationships between disadvantaged communities on the receiving end of society’s scorn.”
Review: Atom Egoyan’s ‘Seven Veils’
“‘Seven Veils’ wears its heart on its sleeve like a John Cassavetes drama, and teases the audience like an M. Night Shyamalan thriller.”
Glasgow Film Festival Review: Uberto Pasolini’s ‘The Return’
“Using striking, elemental images, ‘The Return’ taps into the ancient power of Homer’s epic story.”
Glasgow Film Festival Review: Yugo Sakamoto’s ‘Baby Assassins: Nice Days’
“The secret weapon of ‘Baby Assassins: Nice Days,’ as with the other franchise films, is Mahiro and Chisato’s chemistry.”