Trapped in the Bed Frame: On Marco Bellocchio’s ‘Devil in the Flesh’
“Bellocchio’s 1986 film ‘Devil in the Flesh’ is perfectly representative of the great Italian director’s outlook.”
Monte Hellman: A Master of the Language of Cinema
Author Joseph B. Atkins on Filmmaker Monte Hellman’s Life and Career
Netflix Review: Ryuichi Hiroki’s ‘Ride or Die’
“Plenty of double-themed movies have been made over the years, but ‘Ride or Die’ seems like an ideal companion piece to ‘Persona.’ Both films are sexually provocative, and both require multiple viewings to better understand the perspectives of each female protagonist.”
Embracing Imperfection: ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ Turns 20
“‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ is heartbreaking and life-affirming in equal measure, which is a difficult balance to pull off, particularly in a movie that frequently treats its protagonist quite harshly.”
Somewhere, There Is a Shelter: Queer Futurity in Faraz Shariat’s ‘No Hard Feelings’
“‘No Hard Feelings’ takes queerness as a given, capturing queer joy onscreen while never losing sight of the stark realities of migrants seeking refuge in a still highly xenophobic Europe.”
BFI Flare Review: Marley Morrison’s ‘Sweetheart’
“The way ‘Sweetheart’ approaches the topic of AJ’s sexuality isn’t groundbreaking, but in a world where queer coming of age stories are still defined by the “coming out” part, it feels refreshing all the same.”
BFI Flare Review: Shirel Peleg’s ‘Kiss Me Before It Blows Up’
“For a debut feature, ‘Kiss Me Before It Blows Up’ is a bold and assertive movie that nails a few funny moments, but it would’ve benefitted from a more nuanced exploration of its complex subject matter.”
Put Your Hand Down, Little Steve: ‘Get Over It’ at 20
“Looking back on early-2000s fare, ‘Get Over It’ stands out as smarter, sweeter, funnier and weirder than many of its contemporaries…”
Glasgow Film Festival Review: Lili Horvát’s ‘Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time’
“It’s a delight to watch Stork think in ‘Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time.’ Her cogitations are signaled by the darting actions of her piercing blue eyes, the slight flex of an eyebrow or the raising of a subtle and pursed smirk.”
Director on the Verge of Change: The Controlled Chaos of Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘Julieta’
“One of the great pleasures of watching any Almodóvar film, but especially ‘Julieta,’ is studying its expressionistic textures…”
IFFR Review: Hung-I Chen and Muni Wei’s ‘As We Like It’
“‘As We Like It’ is a film that makes many unique moments out of its childish buffoonery, and it’s lifted, like its characters, into a class of its own.”
Revelation as Retroactive in ‘Southland Tales’ and ‘Kaboom’
“‘Southland Tales’ and ‘Kaboom’ aren’t defined BY their end-of-days narratives, as their apocalypses define the contents through the fulfillment of apocalyptic revelations.”
An Interview with ‘The Nest’ Director Sean Durkin
Dominic Erickson Interviews ‘The Nest’ Director Sean Durkin
Review: Keith Bearden’s ‘Antarctica’
“The cold numbness of ‘Antarctica’ perfectly encapsulates the constant physical and emotional hardship faced not just by the current teen generation, but girls in particular.”
Review: Sean Durkin’s ‘The Nest’
“Nothing presented in ‘The Nest’ will radically alter the viewer’s perception of the family unit, marriage or even greed, but Durkin’s film suggests that is indeed the point.”
Ben Wheatley’s ‘Rebecca’: There’s Nothing Behind the Wallpaper
“‘Rebecca’ feels sanded out, erased of all imperfection, identity and mystery.”
Review: Sofia Coppola’s ‘On the Rocks’
“Coppola has always shown an affinity for mixing laughter and introspection, and ‘On the Rocks’ successfully deploys the strategy.”
Have None, Will Travel: The Villainy of Economics in ‘Blood on the Moon’
“There’s a dark warning at the heart of ‘Blood on the Moon’ that still rings true today.”
Romantic Horror in ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ Movie Adaptations
“The six major theatrical adaptations of Phantom’s story cover a wide realm of romantic horror, fully exploiting the themes and concepts within the character.”
London Film Festival Review: Francis Lee’s ‘Ammonite’
“Lee has, over his two films so far, proven a dab hand at teasing out unexpressed, furtive desires, depicting both the visceral emotions and gritty physicality of same-sex romance with empathy and an understated artistic flair.”