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
Reviews
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
Why The Shimmer in ‘Annihilation’ is an allegory for the U.S.’s foreign policy [Retrospective]
Alex Garland’s sophomore directorial feature, Annihilation, explores the ideas of corruption, destruction, and rebirth. Throughout the film, The Shimmer, also referred to as “Area X,”... Read More
‘Succession’ Season 3 review: The Emmy-winning series returns and this time it’s war
Succession returns on October 17 to remind us of the growing chasm between HBO’s smash hit and everyone else. Jesse Armstrong’s show has evolved into... 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
Martin Scorsese’s timeless ‘Boxcar Bertha’ and the Marxist undertones of his often overlooked early classic [Retrospective]
1972’s Boxcar Bertha is an often overlooked, critically debated entry into Martin Scorsese’s filmography, mostly because it is a departure from his usual themes and... Read More
Previously on… ‘Survivor’ recap: S41 E2 – “The Butterfly Effect”
There is no official theme to Survivor 41, but “risk vs. reward” might as well be. From the producer-implemented twists to the cast’s organic gameplay,... Read More
‘Mass’ review: Ann Dowd gives the performance of her career in Fran Kranz’s breathtaking and empathetic debut feature [Grade: A]
How do you find the words to speak about the unspeakable? That’s the question at the heart of Mass, and it’s the question every reviewer... Read More
‘No Time to Die’ review: Daniel Craig’s epic final entry as James Bond cements him as the best 007 ever [Grade: A-]
With all of the high tech gadgets, beautiful women, fast cars, exotic locations, diabolical villains, James Bond has been a cinematic icon for close to... Read More
NYFF Review: Radu Muntean’s Transylvanian horror ‘Întregalde’ finds true terror in the seemingly mundane [Grade: A-]
The landscape of Întregalde pierces you with a cold so persistent, you can’t help but shiver with the characters onscreen. Radu Muntean’s drama turns 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 
2025 Oscar Predictions: BEST PICTURE and BEST DIRECTOR (November)