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.”
An Interview with ‘Second Chance’ Filmmaker Subhadra Mahajan
‘Second Chance’ Interview: Dipankar Sarkar discusses the 2024 movie with filmmaker Subhadra Mahajan.
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.”
An Interview with ‘Ullozhukku’ Filmmaker Christo Tomy
‘Ullozhukku’ Interview: Dipankar Sarkar discusses the 2024 movie with filmmaker Christo Tomy.
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.”
An Interview with ‘Through the Writer’s Mirror’ Director Alexandre Westphal
‘Through the Writer’s Mirror’ Interview: George Kowalik and Anne-Laure Tissut discuss the 2022 Percival Everett documentary with director Alexandre Westphal.
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.”
Questioning and Subverting Artistic Authority in ‘Through the Writer’s Mirror’
“Being multiple things at once is what makes Everett’s novels, but also his other art, so intriguing. ‘Through the Writer’s Mirror’ is its own process of plate spinning. It is its own juggling act.”
Review: Pablo Feldman and Sophia Sabella’s ‘Edge of Everything’
“‘Edge of Everything’ straddles the line of original storytelling and coming-of-age tropes like its teenage protagonist straddles the line between adolescence and adulthood.”
An Interview with ‘Manjummel Boys’ Filmmaker Chidambaram
‘Manjummel Boys’ Interview: Dipankar Sarkar discusses the 2024 movie with filmmaker Chidambaram.
An Interview with ‘Katu Pootha Malay’ Filmmaker P.J. Udayraj
‘Katu Pootha Malay’ Interview: Dipankar Sarkar discusses the 2024 movie with filmmaker P.J. Udayraj.