‘Sacrifice’ Review: Romain Gavras’ Environmentalism Parody Self-Immolates at the Altar of Absurdity [B-] TIFF
Satire and farce make for appealing cinema because they give additional room to directors willing to exercise that creative license. Such is the case with... Read More
Film Reviews
‘Marc by Sofia’ Review: Coppola’s Friendly Look at a Fashion Titan Leaves Some of its Seams Showing [B-] Venice
Sofia Coppola’s Marc by Sofia could only ever have been made by Sofia Coppola. On paper it is a straightforward proposition: a celebrated filmmaker turns... Read More
‘The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo’ Review: Chilean LGBTQ Western is a Haunting, Lyrical Fable About Love and Loss [A-] TIFF
Chile’s selection to this year’s Best International Feature Oscar race, The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, continues that country’s remarkable string of featuring poignant films... Read More
‘Erupjca’ Review: Everything is Pretty Romantic in this Kinetic Charli XCX Vehicle [B+] TIFF
People probably always say that a long-lasting love can feel like an eternal flame. Whether it’s with the person you’re currently with or a fling... Read More
‘Steve’ Review: Tim Mielants and Cillian Murphy Redefine Empathy in the “Troubled Student” Genre [B+] TIFF
It feels like we’ve been telling stories of well-meaning teachers and troubled students since the beginning of time. Everyone is aware that public school systems... Read More
‘Left-Handed Girl’ (左撇子女孩) Review: Shih-Ching Tsou’s Solo Debut is a Vibrant Mother-Daughter Miracle [A-] TIFF
Minutes into Shih-Ching Tsou’s solo debut Left-Handed Girl, I knew I was in good hands. Watching our three female leads sitting at a small cramped... Read More
‘The Choral’ Review: Ralph Fiennes is Pitch-Perfect in Old-Fashioned British Wartime Drama [B] TIFF
Yorkshire, England, 1916. Young Lofty (Oliver Briscombe) has the unenviable task of delivering the bad news to the townsfolk that their loved ones have died... Read More
‘Back Home’ Review: In Barely an Hour Tsai Ming-liang Asks ‘What is a Home?’ [B] Venice
Tsai Ming-liang has become a progressively more esoteric filmmaker since he began his career three and a half decades ago. A lot of his recent... Read More
‘The Ugly’ (얼굴) Review: In Yeon Sang-ho’s Dark Mystery, It’s the Soul That Needs the Surgery [B+] TIFF
Train to Busan’s Yeon Sang-ho returns to the low budget mystery thriller genre by adapting his debut graphic novel (Face) into a feature film. The... Read More
‘Eagles of the Republic’ Review: Behind the Scenes of an Empty, Dull Propaganda Film [C-] TIFF
If a propaganda film is dull, does it make a sound? Probably not, since the whole point of propaganda is to influence perception, which requires... Read More
Interview: Cinematographer Darius Khondji on Shooting on Film and Finding the Light and the Darkness of ‘Marty Supreme’ 
Writer/Director Charlie Polinger Tackles Teenage Boy Body Horror in his Debut Feature ‘The Plague’ [VIDEO INTERVIEW] 
‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ Review: Amanda Seyfried is Mother (Ann) in Mona Fastvold’s Miraculous Musical Drama [A] 
With ‘Song Sung Blue,’ Craig Brewer Pays Tribute to Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman, Joy Amongst Sadness, and the Creation of Art [VIDEO INTERVIEW]