‘Ali & Ava’ review: A well-rounded, typically British, social realist study [Grade: B] (London Film Festival)
Coming off the Ruth Wilson-starring film Dark River, Clio Bernard’s new film, Ali & Ava, is a sensitive exploration of two complexly troubled people, who... Read More
Film Reviews
‘Great Freedom’ review: Franz Rogowski is transformative in this sombre period prison drama [Grade: A-] (London Film Festival)
Take it from someone who has lived here for all of his twenty-five years: Englanders, for the most part, are so blinded by exceptionalism as... Read More
‘The Tender Bar’ review: Ben Affleck raises the bar in George Clooney’s largely inept newest directorial outing [Grade: D+] (London Film Festival)
When you’re at a festival populated by indie slow-burners, a maudlin, easy-to-watch soap opera can be a wonderful, soupy balm. Just before the pandemic sent... Read More
NYFF Review: Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s 3-hour ‘Drive My Car (ドライブ・マイ・カー)’ is a detailed and meticulous ride that will quietly reward your patience [Grade: B+]
There’s something inherently fascinating about taking a short story and extending it to a feature film that asks for a three-hour runtime. You can sit... Read More
‘The Humans’ review: Richard Jenkins and Jayne Houdyshell marvel in the year’s most haunting film – Nashville Film Festival [Grade: A]
Play to film adaptations have always been a thing, but it seems like over the past few years they have really started to become a... Read More
Review: Madonna’s ‘Madame X’ isn’t the concert film its tour—or star—deserves [Grade: B-]
In 2017, having literally moved to Lisbon in the name of soccer motherhood, superstar Madonna found herself a tad despondent. There was the fact that... Read More
‘South of Heaven’ review: A serious Jason Sudeikis can’t lasso up the dramatic chops to save contrived story [Grade: C]
While Jason Sudeikis was already an established actor in Hollywood, the mega-success of his Apple TV+ Emmy-winning comedy Ted Lasso has shot the SNL alum... Read More
NYFF Review: ‘Unclenching the Fists’ in an uncompromising tale of female resistance from Cannes winner Kira Kovalenko [Grade: B]
Kira Kovalenko’s Unclenching of the Fists is set in North Ossetia, in the Russian Caucasus, the site of the horrific Beslan School attack of 2004.... Read More
NYFF Review: Radu Jude’s subversive ‘Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn’ is a sex tape satire with an explosive climax [Grade: A-]
Watching the beginning of Radu Jude’s new film, you have to remind yourself that it’s not really porn. There is actual sex on screen, but... Read More
NYFF Review: Not everything is black and white in ‘Passing,’ the feature directorial debut of Rebecca Hall [Grade: B-]
Passing, Rebecca Hall’s debut film as a writer-director, is a studied adaptation of Nellallitea “Nella” Larsen’s eponymous 1929 novel set in Harlem, New York. The... Read More
2024 Camerimage Film Festival: Danish Oscar Entry ‘The Girl With the Needle’ Wins Golden Frog 
Interview: ‘Gladiator II’ Cinematographer John Mathieson on Reuniting with Ridley Scott and Continuing the Legacy and Lore 
Interview: Alan Menken and Glenn Slater on Creating the Songs and Score for ‘Spellbound’ and the “Perfectly” Cast Rachel Zegler 
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