AwardsWatch - Film Reviews

TIFF Review : Zhang Yimou’s ‘One Second’ offers a charming, if compromised, love letter to cinema [Grade: B]

Clint Worthington September 19, 2021

Even before it reached Western shores for its premiere as the closing night film of the Toronto International Film Festival, Zhang Yimou’s One Second was... Read More

TIFF Review: With ‘Julia,’ Julie Cohen and Betsy West whip up a charming confit of cooking’s most fearless and unlikely personality [Grade: A]

Maria Garcia September 18, 2021

Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s Julia opens with a clip of Julia Child introducing her TV audience to “the chicken sisters,” the six headless fowl... Read More

TIFF Review: ‘The Falls’ (瀑布) is a tense, touching portrait of love and empathy [Grade: A]

Kevin L. Lee September 17, 2021

At the center of our story stands an apartment building, fully wrapped in blue tarp. We see many buildings of identical structure, but only this... Read More

7 PRISIONEIROS. CHRISTIAN MALHEIROS as MATEUS, in 7 PRISIONEIROS movie. Cr. ALINE ARRUDA/NETFLIX © 2021

TIFF Review: Alexandre Moratto’s ‘7 Prisoners’ is a compelling and harrowing look at modern-day slave trade [Grade: B+]

Mina Takla September 16, 2021

Brazilian filmmaker Alexandre Moratto creates a highly effective, if uneven, picture on the devastating working conditions in his homeland, capturing both the dreams crushed by... Read More

TIFF Review: Pablo Larraín’s ‘Spencer’ is a riveting tale of isolation and loneliness with a stellar performance by Kristen Stewart [Grade: A]

Mina Takla September 16, 2021

One of the best films of the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, Pablo Larraín’s Spencer is a perfect example of how imagined fables within the... Read More

TIFF Review: Darin J. Sallam’s debut feature ‘Farha’ is an effective socio-political thriller of the horrors of displacement in the Middle East [Grade: B]

Mina Takla September 16, 2021

Despite glaring pacing issues, Darin J. Sallam’s debut feature, Farha, manages to leave a strong impression. After a clunky first 30 minutes, the film finds... Read More

TIFF Review: ‘The Survivor’ has a knockout performance from Ben Foster, even as it pulls its punches elsewhere [Grade: C+]

Clint Worthington September 16, 2021

Weepy prestige biopics set during the Holocaust are nothing new; they’re the backbone of a robust subcategory of Oscar-hungry films eager for the audience’s attention... Read More

TIFF Review: A career-best Jack Lowden carries Terence Davies’ somber yet lyrical ‘Benediction’ [Grade: A]

Matt St. Clair September 16, 2021

Within his short filmography, rising Scottish actor Jack Lowden has shown immense acting range in films like Mary Queen of Scots, Kindred, and the overlooked... Read More

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TIFF Review: Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Belfast’ masterfully captures the joys and agony of what truly makes a home [Grade: A-]

Mina Takla September 15, 2021

Undoubtedly his most personal film to date, Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast is a quietly moving and universally resonating film about the roots that connect us, the... Read More

TIFF Review: Michael Showalter’s ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ is a fascinating character study led by a career-best performance from Jessica Chastain [Grade: A-]

Mina Takla September 13, 2021

A wonderful showcase for the incredible talent of Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye looks at opportunism and exploitation in the flashy, and often... Read More