Eco-Horror ‘Orca: The Killer Whale’ Takes the Whale’s POV
Michael Anderson’s ’70s-era ecological horror Orca: The Killer Whale takes the whale’s POV and we won’t like what it sees.
Film Review
Gothic Horror ‘The Mask of Satan’ Gets Deliriously Freaky
Lamberto Bava’s gothic horror The Mask of Satan is a loose framework for ideas to showcase a delirious camera and the freaky makeup effects of Sergio Stivaletti.
‘Sunfish’ Is a Near-Perfect Anthology Film
Sierra Falconer’s anthology film Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake), is quietly impressive, workmanlike storytelling.
Moses Sumney’s ‘Blackalachia’ and the Forest
In Moses Sumney’s beautiful 2021 performance film Blackalachia, the forest is a friend, a threat, a looming watcher, and an extension of the narrator’s person.
Bob Dylan Film ‘A Complete Unknown’ Is a Folk anti-Western
In wandering hero terms, Bob Dylan film A Complete Unknown is less a George Stevens’ Western like Shane and more an Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo – with guitars.
Silent Film ‘The Bat’ Begat Comics Dark Superhero Batman
Murder, secret rooms, and a man in a bat suit are among the shenanigans in silent film The Bat, a seminal work that begat comics dark superhero Batman.
Nazis and Racial and Sexual Subtexts in ‘Revenge of the Zombies’
Revenge of the Zombies stands at the axis of Nazis, race relations and feminism in a mishmash of wartime themes under an immigrant director.
Bruce Springsteen Documentary ‘Road Diary’ Takes a Familiar Route
Bruce Springsteen documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band gets you there by taking a familiar yet still enjoyable route.
Masahiro Shinoda’s ‘Demon Pond’ Ripples Through Japan’s New Wave
Fantastic colors, costumes, and effects ripple through Masahiro Shinoda’s New Wave-era Demon Pond, which is drenched in Kabuki romantic fantasy.
Mati Diop’s Documentary ‘Dahomey’ Complicates Colonialism
Mati Diop’s Dahomey documentary about the 2021 return of looted artworks to Benin looks more to the present and future than the past.
Filmmaker Lana Wilson Delves into the Psyche of Psychics
Lana Wilson’s soulful, patient, appropriately skeptical documentary takes psychics at their word but also peers behind the curtain in revealing ways.
Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ Is a Trivial Goof Pretending at Ambition
Francis Ford Coppola’s bonkers “fable” about the clash of dreams and cynicism, Megalopolis, has a potent but unfounded belief in its importance.