NYFF 2018 Review: Claire Denis’ ‘High Life’
“Denis’ approach resembles that of Pattinson’s performance: pointedly pared down to the bare minimum without fully untethering from recognizable humanity.”
NYFF 2018 Review: Paul Dano’s ‘Wildlife’
“The overcorrection for sentimentality does give ‘Wildlife’ a bit of a sterile feel, but the deliberate dissatisfaction that Dano allows to permeate through his debut feature provides a fitting complement to the private misery of the film’s characters.”
Overview: Tribeca Film Festival 2018
Devika Girish on Her First Tribeca Film Festival Experience
“Well, Childhood’s Over” – Claiming Adulthood with Some Help from Greta Gerwig
An Essay by Marshall Shaffer
Secret Defense: A Close-Up on Arnaud Desplechin’s ‘Esther Kahn’
“Phoenix delivers an opaque but strikingly physical performance, reminiscent of the women in Charlie Chaplin’s films.”
New York Film Festival Review: Paul Schrader’s ‘First Reformed’
“The multi-hyphenate filmmaker’s latest seems to anticipate dissection: its formal austerity belies a haphazard, literary-minded indulgence.”
Disney Dreams in Sean Baker’s ‘The Florida Project’
“‘The Florida Project’ is a marvelous portrait of childhood that depicts how it feels to live on the fringes and just out of reach from The Happiest Place on Earth.”
New York Film Festival Review: Serge Bozon’s ‘Madame Hyde’
“‘Madame Hyde’ crystallizes its views about the absurd limitations in trying to communicate the abstract gift of knowledge.”
Coffee and Cinephilia: A Conversation with Richard Peña
Alejandra Rosenberg Interviews Richard Peña
NYFF Review: Mia Hansen-Løve’s ‘Things to Come’
“There is no right way to negotiate these expectations, and no way to outrun them: they simply exist as a part of life.”
Interview with Kelly Reichardt, Director of ‘Certain Women’
Marshall Shaffer Interviews Director Kelly Reichardt
NYFF Review: Mike Mills’ ’20th Century Women’
“With Mills so free and acrobatic in his constructions and portrayal of the characters, coupled with excellent acting, it’s difficult not find them endearing given the wit and depth of ’20th Century Women.'”
NYFF Review: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s ‘The Unknown Girl’
New York Film Festival 2016
NYFF Review: Pablo Larraín’s ‘Neruda’
“Neruda’s shining star is Luis Gnecco, who brings the poet back to life.”