‘Small Things Like These’ Review: Cillian Murphy is a Quiet Powerhouse in Aloof Drama from ‘Peaky Blinders’ Helmer Tim Mielants | Chicago International Film Festival
Cillian Murphy is the kind of actor that most directors would kill to have leading their film. His face alone makes for a compelling screen... Read More
Film Festivals
‘Baby’ Review: Marcelo Caetano’s Underdeveloped Queer Coming of Age Story Never Fully Blooms | Chicago International Film Festival
The queer coming-of-age story has seemingly taken over the LGBT film landscape. Nearly every film festival presents a small handful of movies that focus on... Read More
2024 Middleburg Film Festival Diary Days 3 and 4: Isabella Rossellini Talks ‘Conclave;’ Coffee and Contenders, plus ‘Nightbitch,’ ‘The Room Next Door’
I kicked off day three of the Middleburg Film Festival at one of this year’s most compelling venues: the Conversation with Colman Domingo and Clarence... Read More
2024 Middleburg Film Festival Diary Days 1 and 2: ‘Blitz,’ ‘The Brutalist,’ ‘Memoir of a Snail,’ ‘Better Man’
The Middleburg Film Festival is set against the picturesque backdrop of historic Virginia. The 12th edition of this wonderful event is taking place this weekend... Read More
‘Memoir of a Snail’ Review: Adam Elliot’s Quirky and Beautiful Animated Tale is Profoundly Human | Chicago International Film Festival
There’s something magical about stop motion animation. Hollywood’s era of ever-escalating CGI tricks is over, replaced by substandard digital slop, or worse, AI-generated horrors. But... Read More
‘Eephus’ Review: A Deceptively Simple, Nearly Pitch Perfect Non-Sports Sports Story | Chicago International Film Festival
Sports movies have a well-earned reputation for being inspiring. The thrill of victory, the exhilarating triumph of an underdog team, the joy of watching a... Read More
‘Black Dog’ Review: Poetic Rehabilitation Drama Has Compassion For Man and Man’s Best Friend Led By an Extraordinary Eddie Peng
Major controversies surrounded the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games while they occurred, but it was only after they came to a close that the organisers were... Read More
‘Look Back’ Review: Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Manga Masterpiece Becomes a Beautiful Hour of Anime
Look Back’s protagonist, Fujino (voiced by Yuumi Kawai), is introduced drawing gag manga strips for her elementary school newspaper. Her classmates all love her work,... Read More
‘Ghostlight’ Review: Two Households Both Aim for Dignity in Cathartic Shakespearean Dramedy | Chicago Critics Film Festival
One of the best moments of Ghostlight actually occurs during the end credits. Looking at the cast list, one thing immediately jumps out – the... Read More
‘Good One’ Review: India Donaldson’s Feature Debut is a Profound and Big-Hearted Triumph | Chicago Critics Film Festival
It’s a risky prospect to give a movie a title that could also be used to critically assess it. Some titles are basically asking to... Read More
98th Oscars: ‘One Battle After Another’ Wins Best Picture, Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson 
‘Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice’ Review: BenDavid Grabinski Asks ‘What if Wong Kar-Wai Made a Gangster Love Triangle Sci-Fi Action Buddy Comedy’? [A-] SXSW 
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 143 – ‘I Know Where I’m Going’ (Powell and Pressburger, 1945) 
FINAL Frontrunner Friday Oscar Predictions of the 2025/2026 Season