TIFF Review: Raoul Peck’s ‘Ernest Cole: Lost and Found’
“The refreshing clarity of Peck’s style in ‘Ernest Cole: Lost and Found’ often feels like a drawback in the way that it disrupts the emotional weight of voice and visual form.”
Review: Abhilash Shetty’s ‘Naale Rajaa Koli Majaa’
“With ‘Naale Rajaa Koli Majaa,’ Shetty gracefully explores the peculiarities of human relationships and the ironies of daily life in India, wherein the contemporary urban existence often stands at a crossroads with ancient traditions.”
TIFF Review: Mati Diop’s ‘Dahomey’
“It’s quite remarkable how Diop captures the collective view of a West African country through her debate sequences in ‘Dahomey.'”
Review: Brendan Walsh’s ‘I’ll Be Right There’
“Through well-defined performances and character dynamics, ‘I’ll Be Right There’ presents heartwarming ideas about personal growth with a genuine thoughtfulness and clever humor, resulting a a beguiling viewing experience.”
Review: Jeremy Saulnier’s ‘Rebel Ridge’
“For a filmmaker who made his name with two hyper-violent thrillers that triggered some queasy walkouts on the festival circuit, the character-driven moments in ‘Rebel Ridge’ feel like an evolution for Saulnier.”
Crime Scene #19: ‘Only the River Flows’ – A Detective Goes Around the Bend
‘Like many great crime films, ‘Only the River Flows’ makes full use of its setting, delivering a grimy and ugly story that suits its grimy and ugly central location.”
Feeling Like a Winner: Elliott Gould’s Hollywood Hot Streak
“Gould’s persona upended traditional notions of cinematic masculinity in its appeal to a generational fatigue and ambivalence; his sexual magnetism eschewed the amatory codes of the traditional leading man.”
Review: Hoag Kepner’s ‘Torched – The Story of the Austin Torch’
“As a sports documentary, ‘Torched’ succeeds by establishing and celebrating the DIY culture of both Austin, Texas and the featured frisbee squad.”
Edinburgh Film Festival Review: Nathan Silver’s ‘Between the Temples’
“With ‘Between the Temples,’ Silver shows an awareness of dramedy cliches and takes great pleasure in making the audience’s skin crawl each time the narrative takes a sharp left turn from expectations.”
Edinburgh Film Festival Review: Nora Fingscheidt’s ‘The Outrun’
“‘The Outrun’ feels lacking in the specificity that makes for rewarding character drama.”
Review: Fede Álvarez’s ‘Alien: Romulus’
“What sells the overall ‘Alien: Romulus’ experience is the genuine authenticity of the cast itself.”
Crime Scene #18: ‘Victims of Sin’ – Nightclubbing with Ninón Sevilla
“‘Victims of Sin’ certainly is a product of its time and place in regard to its prescriptivism, but Fernández’s movie far surpasses its simpler elements because of its rather glorious and noirish textures.”
Review: Vivian Kerr’s ‘Scrap’
“‘Scrap,’ the feature directorial debut from actress Vivian Kerr, is yet another festival darling that is indeed charming, but one that doesn’t quite pack a punch with its overall visual design and technical execution.”
Review: Ran Huang’s ‘What Remains’
“‘What Remains’ is a low-key stylish film about human potential and the elevation of consciousness, though Huang keeps the audience trapped in a dark and uncomfortable place with his cryptic storytelling.”
Review: Rich Peppiatt’s ‘Kneecap’
“If ‘Kneecap’ was merely the first ‘edgy’ comedy in years with gags as shocking as they are laugh-out-loud hysterical, that would be enough to recommend it.”
Review: Jac Cron’s ‘Chestnut’
“Director Jac Cron shows major filmmaking potential with her feature debut, though the underdeveloped screenplay will presumably irritate the casual moviegoer.”
Review: Chip Joslin’s ‘Insane Like Me?’
“‘Insane Like Me?,’ a vampire thriller with little visual style, relies on decent lead performances to make up for a clunky screenplay.”
Review: Cara Mones and Caroline Suh’s ‘Sorry/Not Sorry’
“Sorry/Not Sorry’ is fascinating with its exploration of ethics, but Mones and Suh’s documentary essentially plays out like a CliffsNotes version of The New York Times’ 2017 report about Louis C.K.’s sexual misconduct.”
Crime Scene #17: ‘Lone Star’ – Porous Borders at the Edge of America
“The genius of Sayles’ ‘Lone Star’ is that the film envelops its difficult, knotty questions about history, identity and geography without any didacticism.”
Review: Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz’s ‘The Devil’s Bath’
“Fiala and Franz, who also co-wrote ‘The Devil’s Bath,’ aren’t interested in making viewers feel comfortable. What they’ve crafted, even more so than their breakout hit, is a tough, distressing watch by design.”