‘One Battle After Another’ Review: Paul Thomas Anderson’s Satirical Saga is the Defining American Film of the Decade [A]
When reviewing Thomas Pynchon’s postmodern tale of American transformation, “Vineland,” Frank McConnell of the LA Times described the book as, “Quite simply, one of those... Read More
Sophia Ciminello
Sophia is a lifelong film enthusiast who considers herself a scholar of Best Actress winners, the films of Paul Thomas Anderson, and 1970s cinema. She hosts and produces the podcast "Oscar Wild," where she celebrates her love of cinema with retrospectives, deep dives on all 23 Oscar categories, and interviews with directors and creatives. She thanks her mother for her love of Old Hollywood and her father for letting her stay up late to watch the Oscars when she was in preschool. Her favorite Best Picture winners are All About Eve and Ordinary People. You can follow her on Twitter @sophia_cim.
‘Poetic License’ Review: Maude Apatow’s Delightful Directorial Debut is a New Coming-of-Age Classic [B+] TIFF
Maude Apatow is no stranger to cross-generational coming-of-age stories. Growing up, she had minor roles in her father Judd Apatow’s comedic films (The 40-Year-Old Virgin,... Read More
‘Hedda’ Review: Tessa Thompson Seduces and Destroys in Nia DaCosta’s Sexy, Stylish Spin on a Classic [B+] TIFF
Nia DaCosta’s fun, feminist Ibsen reimagining, Hedda, opens with a quote from another playwright. Instead of referencing Ibsen himself or another literary staple of the... Read More
‘Hamnet’ Review: Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal Will Break Your Heart in Chloé Zhao’s Timeless Tale of Profound Loss and Boundless Love [A] Telluride
“All that lives must die,/Passing through nature to eternity.” -Hamlet Act One, Scene 2 Early in Chloé Zhao’s staggering Shakespearean fairytale, Hamnet, Agnes (Jessie Buckley)... Read More
‘Materialists’ Review: Love is Worth the Investment in Celine Song’s Refreshingly Modern Romance [B+]
Celine Song begins her lovely sophomore feature, Materialists, with a bit of a surprising artistic gamble. We’re surrounded by mountains in nature, and it’s oh... Read More
2025 Cannes Film Festival Reviews: ‘Eleanor the Great,’ ‘Miroirs No. 3,’ ‘A Pale View of Hills,’ ‘The Richest Woman in the World,’ and ‘Vie Privée’
In my final set of reviews from the 78th Cannes Film Festival, we’re taking a look at five films from three of the Festival’s sidebar... Read More
‘And Just Like That…’ Season 3 Review: Sarah Jessica Parker Shines, but this ‘Sex and the City’ Spinoff Keeps Getting Carried Away [C+]
Are you a Carrie, a Miranda, a Samantha, or a Charlotte? Sex and the City first aired almost thirty years ago, and yet, find a... Read More
‘The Mastermind’ Review: Josh O’Connor is Caught Stealing in Kelly Reichardt’s Vietnam Era Portrait of an Art Thief [A-] Cannes
Early in Kelly Reichardt’s new anti-heist film, The Mastermind, J.B. Mooney (Josh O’Connor) stops in front of a security guard on his way out of... Read More
‘Sentimental Value’ Review: Joachim Trier Constructs a Searing, Tender Family Drama [A] Cannes
Growing up in an old house means getting used to its little idiosyncrasies, just as you would with any other family member. It’s the one... Read More
‘Sound of Falling’ Review: What It Feels Like For a Girl [A-] Cannes
Early in Mascha Schilinski’s sophomore feature, Sound of Falling, Alma (Hanna Heckt) and her sisters play a prank on one of the maids. They know... Read More
AwardsWatch Podcast Ep. 345: Recapping the 79th Cannes Film Festival and Looking to the Awards Future 
‘The Beloved’ Review: Javier Bardem Makes a Meal Out of Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Movie-Making Buffet [B] 
‘The Dreamed Adventure’ Review: Valeska Grisebach’s Observant Thriller Examines the Grey Zones of Morality [B+] 
‘Minotaur’ Review: Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Timeless, Domestic Epic is an Unflinching Look at Putin’s Russia [A] Cannes