Review: Cosima Spender’s ‘Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe’
“As politics continue to divide people via blinding shades of blue and red, Andrea Bocelli transcends above the madness by communicating what’s in his heart.”
Busan International Film Festival Review: Anoop Lokkur’s ‘Don’t Tell Mother’
“‘Don’t Tell Mother’ is an assured debut, less concerned with plot points than with the tremors of lived moments rippling through its gently stirring narrative.”
Review: Sara Zandieh’s ‘Doin’ It’
“‘Doin’ It’ is caught in the bind of being too obnoxious for adults and too unrelatable for younger viewers.”
Review: Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another’
“In ‘One Battle After Another,’ the political is inextricable from the personal, in a way that transcends a mere commentary on Trump’s America.”
Review: Justin Tipping’s ‘HIM’
“Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of ‘HIM’ is that Tipping is clearly a talented visual stylist, but his keen eye never quite helps the screenplay transcend various cliches.”
Review: Jimmy Warden’s ‘Borderline’
“Just like a Hollywood actor or actress who doesn’t quite know when to stop performing amongst family members and friends, ‘Borderline’ is frequently annoying yet always entertaining and unpredictable.”
Review: Racheal Cain’s ‘Somnium’
“‘Somnium’ is rather predictable, as first-time feature filmmakers like Cain tend to prioritize visual design over the nuts and bolts of their script.”
TIFF 2025 Review: Benny Safdie’s ‘The Smashing Machine’
“The biggest problem with ‘The Smashing Machine’ is that Safdie simply doesn’t bring anything new to the table in terms of style or ideas.”
TIFF 2025 Review: Gianfranco Rosi’s ‘Below the Clouds’
“With ‘Below the Clouds,” Rosi makes it clear that history and the present interact every day.”
An Interview with ‘Ghich Pich’ Filmmaker Ankur Singla
‘Ghich Pich’ Interview: Dipankar Sarkar discusses the 2025 movie with filmmaker Ankur Singla.
Building the New Queer Canon #6: Ethan Coen’s ‘Honey Don’t!’
“Aside from the half-assed plotting, the biggest flaw of ‘Honey Don’t!’ is that even with Cooke’s involvement, the sexuality of the protagonists lacks any sort of perceptive depth, with no inter-character dynamic feeling more lived-in than the plot needs it to be.”
TIFF 2025 Review: Óliver Laxe’s ‘Sirāt’
“What I really appreciate about ‘Sirāt’ is Laxe’s constant bucking of expectations.”
TIFF 2025 Review: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s ‘A Useful Ghost’
“As interesting as ‘A Useful Ghost’ is in concept, it’s a typical film by a talented debut artist and storyteller, one with a litany of ideas but no clear voice that brings them together.”
Review: Robert Schwartzman’s ‘Hung Up on a Dream: The Zombies Documentary’
“Press play on ‘Hung Up on a Dream’ for the music, stay for the wild and interconnected industry stories that span seven decades.”
Review: Joe Begos’ ‘Jimmy and Stiggs’
“‘Jimmy and Stiggs’ is frenetic, metal AF and feels dangerous, which is something that’s sadly missing from a lot of modern horror movies.”
EIFF 2025 Review: Mas Bouzidi’s ‘Concessions’
“‘Concessions’ is essentially a collage, taking bits of other films and sticking them together to make something pretty. But it struggles when it comes to time to say something of its own.”
VV Double Review (2/2): Macon Blair’s ‘The Toxic Avenger’ (EIFF)
“‘The Toxic Avenger’ isn’t unpalatable to the mainstream, but it quickly becomes evident why the film was left on the shelf for a couple of years.”
VV Double Review (1/2): Macon Blair’s ‘The Toxic Avenger’
“Blair’s ‘The Toxic Avenger’ does what a great reboot should do — the film carves its own path, in every sense of the word, while paying homage to what came before and taking some big swings along the way.”
An Interview with ‘Moonwalk’ Filmmaker A.K. Vinod
‘Moonwalk’ Interview: Dipankar Sarkar discusses the 2025 movie with filmmaker A.K. Vinod.
EIFF 2025 Review: Sepideh Farsi’s ‘Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk’
“As a cinematic epitaph for an extraordinary young woman, ‘Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk’ more than captures the spirit of Fatima Hassouna.”