Reviews
LA SYNDICALISTE Review: Unexpected Take on Whistleblower Thrillers
Isabelle Huppert stars in a film by Jean-Paul Salomé.
GODZILLA MINUS ONE Review: Big G Is Back And Better Than Ever
In the immediate aftermath of Japan’s defeat in World War II, the country has a new terror to contend with, a monster unlike anything the world had ever seen, and there is no one to save them but themselves in...
MY ANIMAL Review: Visually Arresting Lycanthropy Tale
More than two decades ago, Ginger Snaps,a modest, lycanthropy-themed horror film from Canada, hit the festival circuit, receiving solid critical notices, but limited returns at the box office. Thankfully, Ginger Snaps didn't disappear into obscurity like so many of its contempories horror-wise. Instead, it received...
EVERYONE WILL BURN Review: Visually Stunning, A Narrative Mess
I've never understood why small towns are so often praised as better places to raise children. Contrary to the popular belief that they are kinder and more welcoming, smaller places tend to be more isolated, and therefore more prejudiced, more...
SILENT NIGHT Review: John Woo Makes a Calculated Return to Hollywood After Twenty Years
Brian’s life was torn apart last Christmas. Brian’s little boy, Taylor, was murdered by a stray bullet from gang violence on Christmas Day. With little left to live for, Brian vows to kill all of those responsible for the death...
EILEEN Review: Thomasin McKenzie Shines in Dark Sexual Tale
Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway star in William Oldroyd's psychosexual thriller.
Pretty Packaging: THE FRIGHTENERS Gets Ultimate Treatment
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Peter Jackson was primarily known for very gory, funny horror movies and a surprising drama or two. Then he made an extremely expensive special effects extravaganza aimed at mainstream audiences,...
International Documentary Festival Amsterdam Review: GASOLINE RAINBOW
They say drunk people, children and fools always speak the truth. No word is truer than that of a drunk foolish kid, as Gasoline Rainbow proofs. The docu-drama hybrid is a warm-hearted look at five naive teens going on a...
MONSTER Review: Genre Trappings, Tricky Structural Dynamics, Impactful Message
Kore-Eda Hirokazu's newest film.
NAPOLEON Review: Ridley Scott's Engrossing, Enthralling Anti-Epic
Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby and director Ridley Scott star.
MENUS-PLAISIRS -- LES TROISGROS Review: Frederick Wiseman's Four-Hour Glimpse Into a Family Restaurant
Veteran director Frederick Wiseman, aged 93 and renowned for his distinct fly-on-the-wall documentary style, turns his lens to the Troisgros family restaurant in his latest work. This French culinary landmark has maintained its prestigious three Michelin stars for over five...
THE CEREMONY Blu-ray Review: Claude Chabrol's Class Destruction Masterpiece
The phrase 'eat the rich' might be partly a joke, but it did originate in France, during the Reign Of Terror - it was pointed out by the leader a commune that, if the poor had nothing left to eat,...
WISH Review: Disney's Love Letter to 100 Years of Disney History
To celebrate its well-earned 100th anniversary, the Walt Disney Animation Studios (hereinafter "Disney Studios") turned over its latest animation effort, Wish, to one of their veteran, in-house A-teams, Frozen co-director Chris Buck (Surf’s Up, Tarzan) and co-writer Jennifer Lee (Zootopia, Wreck-It...
THE STRANGLER (L'étrangleur) Review: Resurrected French Giallo with a Beating Heart
First presented at the Cannes Film Festival in 1970, Paul Vecchiali’s melancholic thriller The Strangler did not have a U.S. release until its screenings at Fantastic Fest and the New York Film Festival earlier this year. Its 2K restoration is currently...
Viennale 2023 Review: ABOUT THIRTY (ARTURO A LOS 30), Young and Restless in Buenos Aires
Martín Shanly directs and stars in a drama about the shift from the youthful optimism of Generation Y to a growing sense of disillusionment amid life's absurdities.
THE LAST PICTURE SHOW 4K Review: Peter Bogdanovich's American Elegy
The film feels startlingly timeless. The Criterion Collection pulls every conceivable supplement and special feature for this 3-disc set, including 'Texasville.'
International Documentary Festival Amsterdam Review: THE TUBA THIEVES
The Thuba Thieves is ostensibly a film about the theft of tuba's from schools in Los Angeles during 2011 and 2013, a series of heists that remain unsolved to this day. It is so much more than that, though: an...
THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES Review: Satisfying, If You Know What You Want
Directed by Francis Lawrence, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is the brand new prequel to The Hunger Games saga (2012-2015). It is set just over 60 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteers as a tribute in the...
Viennale 2023 Review: ROBOT DREAMS, A Nostalgic, Animated Exploration of Loss and Companionship
Pablo Berger crafts an animated narrative that resonates with themes of friendship, loss, and reconnection, all set against the vibrant and nostalgic backdrop of 1980s New York City.
Viennale 2023 Review: THE PRACTICE Seeks Mindfulness Amid Mid-Life Restart
Martín Rejtman employs deadpan absurdism to satirize the trials of mid-life in the life of a yoga coach.
