‘Monica’ review: Trace Lysette is a revelation in Andrea Pallaoro’s delicate story of family and acceptance [B+] | Venice Film Festival
Our lives can sometimes be impacted by irreparable trauma, and even though we heal from it, it will leave us scarred. A parent’s rejection of... Read More
Roberto Ruggio
‘L’immensità’ review: A solid performance from Penélope Cruz doesn’t save Emanuele Crialese’s broadly drawn family drama [C+] | Venice Film Festival
Filmmakers often use cinema to tell personal stories, sometimes stories straight from their own childhood. Recently we’ve seen Alfonso Cuarón, Paolo Sorrentino, Kenneth Branagh, Steven... Read More
‘Don’t Worry Darling’ review: Be ready to witness a spectacular disaster [C-] | Venice Film Festival
‘Don’t Worry Darling’ review: Be ready to witness a spectacular disaster [C-] | Venice Film Festival
Throughout the story of the United States, there has often been called the ‘American Dream.’ Beyond the obvious rags-to-riches story, what is materially the American... Read More
‘The Whale’ review: Brendan Fraser’s incredible performance anchors a cathartic, emotional powerhouse [A] | Venice Film Festival
We watch movies because we seek entertainment, but at the same time we watch them because we want to be reassured that our world views... Read More
‘Argentina, 1985’: A great lead performance saves a flawed historical courtroom drama [B-] | Venice Film Festival
We may try to grasp history with our hands, but it always finds a way out of our control. How can we imagine catching it,... Read More
‘All the Beauty and the Bloodshed’ review: Laura Poitras’ profound portrait of artist and activist Nan Goldin is one of year’s best films [A+] | Venice Film Festival
Who is Nan Goldin? For people who are not photography enthusiasts, this name probably doesn’t sound familiar. I had personally never heard of her, so... Read More
‘Athena’ review: Romain Gavras explores a civil war at its most brutal, despairing and devastating [A-] |Venice Review
What does it take to push a home, a city, a country into chaos? Is it an accumulation of injustice or can it just take... Read More
Venice Review: “Reflection” is a brutal, technically accomplished, but emotionally cold look at war and its consequences
Ukranian director Valentyn Vasyanovych won the hearts of many at the 2019 Venice Film Festival, when his Atlantis won the Orizzonti section. Atlantis was a... Read More
Venice Review: Adam Driver and Jodie Comer shine but ‘The Last Duel’ is diminished by an uneven script and skewed perspective [Grade: C]
Cinema has often interrogated on the power and meaning of truth. What is it? How do we get to it? How do we accept it?... Read More
Venice Review: ‘The Hand of God’ is Paolo Sorrentino’s sublime masterpiece [Grade: A]
“Thank you to my sources of inspiration: Federico Fellini, Talking Heads, Martin Scorsese and Diego Armando Maradona.” When Paolo Sorrentino went on stage to accept... Read More
‘Emilia Pérez,’ ‘The Room Next Door’ Lead 2024 European Film Awards Nominations (EFA) 
‘Kneecap’ and ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ Lead 2024 British Independent Film Awards Nominations (BIFA) 
Interview: Director Steve McQueen on Capturing War Through the Eyes of a Child and Providing Love With ‘Blitz’ 
2025 Oscar Predictions: Introducing ‘The Awards Alchemist’ and a Closer Look at the Animated Feature Oscar Race