NYFF 2025 Review: Rebecca Zlotowski’s ‘A Private Life’
“‘A Private Life’ ultimately becomes lethargic and then putters out. Foster dangles in the midst of it, like an actress who sees the film set disappear while sheโs still in her role.”
LFF 2025 Review: Chloรฉ Zhao’s ‘Hamnet’
“For a film which tackles the cathartic nature of art and how fiction can help us heal after a tragedy, the personal touches of ‘Hamnet’ feel hollow whenever Zhao tries to conform to Shakespeare’s pop culture image.”
LFF 2025 Review: Joachim Trier’s ‘Sentimental Value’
“As a film about the healing properties of the creative process, ‘Sentimental Value’ is rare in that the in-movie writing, performances and direction aren’t cathartic for the characters, but rather function as obstacles when they try to unpack their feelings.”
NYFF 2025 Review: Stillz’s ‘Barrio Triste’
“‘Barrio Triste’ feels in line with the energetic and floating camerawork of Stillz’s music videos he has made for several artists, but it also stands as its own sort of gritty, meandering experiment that aims to excavate spaces within a particular setting.”
LFF 2025 Review: Rian Johnson’s ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’
“‘Wake Up Dead Man’ transforms into something more impactful by sincerely and non-judgmentally attempting to grapple with faith from an atheistโs perspective.”
Review: Bill Fishman’s ‘Waltzing with Brando’
“‘Waltzing with Brando’ suffers from a sluggish rhythm and lack of narrative drive because it focuses on the wrong character and the wrong aspect of the subject’s life.”
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 whatโs in his heart.”
Busan International Film Festival Review: Anoop Lokkur’s ‘Don’t Tell Mother’
“‘Donโt 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’
“‘Doinโ 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 Trumpโs 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 doesnโt 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 doesnโt 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.”
TIFF 2025 Review: รliver Laxeโs โSirฤtโ
“What I really appreciate about ‘Sirฤt’ is Laxeโs constant bucking of expectations.”
TIFF 2025 Review: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachokeโs โA Useful Ghostโ
“As interesting as ‘A Useful Ghost’ is in concept, itโs 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 Begosโ โJimmy and Stiggsโ
“‘Jimmy and Stiggs’ is frenetic, metal AF and feels dangerous, which is something thatโs 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.”