“Masculinity in Mann’s world is its own prison, a conundrum of duality, a question of what someone will stand for and the masks they may wear while striving for an identity.”
“Johnson doesn’t create a specific sense of place in ‘The Carnivores,’ nor does he develop the characters into anything more than cyphers for American angst that a million Sundance films have delivered before.”
Dipankar Sarkar Interviews ‘Nayattu’ Screenwriter Shahi Kabir
“The conspiratorial is everywhere in ‘Slow Machine’ but doesn’t come into focus.”
Joey Keogh on the 20th Anniversary of ‘The Fast and the Furious’
“The Djinn’s central performance is a demonically excellent tour de force, and the work’s inclusion of Islamic folklore is a welcome presence in the Christian-dominated sphere of demon-related American horror films.”
“Beautifully shot, wildly inventive and devilishly unpredictable – and with a swooning, dead-cool soundtrack to match – ‘Sexy Beast’ is well worth celebrating on its 20th anniversary.”
“Unlike many neo-westerns, which bandy hollow notions of ‘civilization’ that play out on the film’s surface, ‘Let Him Go’ runs a classical plot through a refined image of modern society.”
“‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ fails to meet its potential as a thoughtful thriller that explores possession on both the supernatural and human front…”
Mannhunting #3 by Bill Bria (‘Ali,’ ‘The Insider’ and ‘Collateral’)
“Romero’s movies have a workshop feel to them, which elevates the horror to a startlingly realistic terror as if it was being documented live.”
“Deeply unsettling and profoundly frightening, ‘Caveat’ is a remarkably assured debut for Mc Carthy and a real showcase for the talents of its small cast, particularly French as the tortured protagonist.”
“‘The Amusement Park’ may not be Romero’s angriest film, but it’s one of his most deliberately disturbing…”
Dipankar Sarkar Interviews ‘Irul’ Filmmaker Naseef Yusuf Izuddin
“While having gay leads is a refreshing inclusion in a genre that has historically excised or executed them, Mills’ movie is a toothless response to the ‘bury your gays’ trope.”
“Yimou Zhang’s ‘Cliff Walkers’ looks amazing but suffers from poorly-written characters and stiff performances.”
Author Joseph B. Atkins on Filmmaker Monte Hellman’s Life and Career
Mannhunting #2 by Bill Bria: “In Mann’s duality of man, cop and robber are, in Stevenson’s words, ‘radically both’ one and the same.”
“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.”
“‘The Serpent’ fashions itself as a serial killer epic, but feels more like an uninspired Jacques Audiard knockoff that shows little interest in deconstructing the psychology of its subject.”