Review: Steven Spielberg’s ‘Disclosure Day’
“‘Disclosure Day’ has its moments in the sun, but even Spielberg’s inner child energy is limited.”
Review: Leah McKendrick’s ‘Voicemails for Isabelle’
“‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ might annoy some viewers with its handling of rom-com tropes, but McKendrick clearly understood objective #1: to entertain a global Netflix audience of different ages.”
Review: John Early’s ‘Maddie’s Secret’
“Camp is a near impossible sensation to manufacture without feeling forced, but Early manages to evoke it with ease in ‘Maddie’s Secret.'”
Hyperreal Film Club Review – ‘SHARP: Moving Picture II’
“This cavalcade of ambitious eccentricities and diasporic dreamers isn’t after your validation, nor should it be considered “main character energy.”
Building the New Queer Canon #11: Reinventing the Modern Love Story with Pierre le Gall’s ‘Flesh and Fuel’
“‘Flesh and Fuel’ has an inherent romanticism which transforms le Gall’s 2026 film into a tear-jerking crowd pleaser instead of a political commentary first and foremost…”
Review: John Carney’s ‘Power Ballad’
“‘Power Ballad’ is an authentic crowd pleaser that the movie’s in-universe hit single could never be.”
Review: Daniel Roher’s ‘Tuner’
“The most damning thing about ‘Tuner’ is that it feels like a very deliberate attempt to make a festival-friendly “calling card” movie…”
Review: Natalie Erika James’ ‘Saccharine’
“‘Saccharine’ is an effective queer love story and a surprisingly moving tale of female friendship surviving against increasingly insurmountable odds. Let women be gross!”
Review: Curry Barker’s ‘Obsession’
“‘Obsession’ refuses to underestimate the emotional intelligence of the audience and refrains from spoon-feeding viewers monologues about abuse and trauma.”
Review: Damian McCarthy’s ‘Hokum’
“‘Hokum,’ much like ‘Caveat’ and ‘Oddity,’ is pure nightmare fuel. But there’s a small tinge of hope — a suggestion that forgiveness is possible — that differentiates it from McCarthy’s previous movies.”
Building the New Queer Canon #10: Elliot Tuttle’s ‘Blue Film’ and Tackling Society’s Ultimate Taboo
“‘Blue Film’ is one of the more morally challenging films of recent memory, daring the audience to find empathy for a man who has desires he can’t fully atone for…”
Short Film Review: Marcellus Cox’s ‘Jamarcus Rose & Da 5 Bullet Holes’
“‘Jamarcus Rose & Da 5 Bullet Holes,’ a 23-minute short film about masculinity and street violence, doesn’t commit to a singular message beyond the primary themes.”
Review: Cole Webley’s ‘Omaha’
“My biggest concern with ‘Omaha’ is that the third act turn feels like a calculated rug-pull which transforms a more considered slice-of-life drama into something far more emotionally manipulative.”
Berlin Critics’ Week: Woche der Kritik Part 2 — Subversions
Woche der Kritik 2026 (Berlin Critics’ Week): Soham Gadre on ‘Loynes’ and ‘Turgaud’
Review: Chandler Levack’s ‘Mile End Kicks’
“‘Mile End Kicks’ is a deliberately infuriating character study and a step-by-step guide for anyone embarking on a career as a freelance writer.”
Berlin Critics’ Week: Woche der Kritik 2026 — Try Outs, Simulations and Performance
Woche der Kritik 2026 (Berlin Critics’ Week): Soham Gadre on ‘Beautiful and Neat Room, ‘Worry Time’ and ‘Fiction Contract’
Review: Ian Tuason’s ‘Undertone’
“‘Undertone’ is inspired, unnerving and truly a future classic.”
Review: Alice Maio Mackay’s ‘The Serpent’s Skin’
“Mackay has once again managed to do an awful lot with zero money and a ton of determination, which makes ‘The Serpent’s Skin’ much easier to admire than pick apart.”
Moments of Paradise: Intimacy and Place in Derek Jarman’s Home Movies
“Jarman extended the logic of the home movie beyond production into exhibition, keeping his films mutable and deeply tied to a social and spatial context.”
Review: 2026 Oscar Nominees for Animated Short Film
“‘The Girl Who Cried Pearls’ is a great modern fairytale, but there’s something even more impactful left in the margins which could have elevated it beyond an effective homage into something singular.”