Kore-eda Hirokazu’s ‘Monster’ Falls Short of Its Literary Ambitions
Kore-eda Hirokazu’s Monster has striking moments, but casually skips over details, reducing its characters to incomplete fragments.
film review
‘Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World’ Is a Stinging Comedy of Banal Chaos
Radu Jude’s gonzo satire of post-Soviet Romania, Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, hits a sweet spot between Luis Buñuel and Béla Tarr.
‘Love Lies Bleeding’ Drips with Danger and Desire
Rose Glass drenches Love Lies Bleeding in sensation and texture, as if she dragged the film through pools of viscera on the floor of a Foley sound effects studio.
The Repression of Truth in Michel Franco’s ‘Memory’
Michel Franco’s Memory explores the premise of entrapment in the context of trauma and dementia and, in its repression of truth, builds to a chilling moment.
Chewing the Scenery and Chewing on Actors in ‘Man-Eater of Kumaon’
Sabu and a tiger foreshadow Byron Haskin’s special effects and science fiction adventures of humans vs. the elements in Man-Eater of Kumaon.
‘Good One’ Challenges Adulthood’s Naïve Appropriation of Wisdom
India Donaldson’s directorial debut Good One leans into gender distinctions, but goes beyond them to offer incisive and observant critique of human nature.
‘Small Things Like These’ Is a Haunting Meditation on Collective Sin
Which is the greater horror, Small Things Like These asks; the women who suffered under Ireland’s abusive Magdalene Laundries or the citizens’ complicity?
‘Frida’ Documentary Explores Honest Expression Versus the Institutionalization of Art
Frida Kahlo speaks from beyond her grave about the institutionalization of art and culture and the dangers posed by intellectuals warming their precious asses.
1930s Cinema Gets Wild and Funny with ‘French Revelations’
1930s cinema gets wild and funny with French Revelations: Fanfare d’amour and Mauvaise Graine, talkies with impolite elements from Pottier, Wilder, and Esway.
‘Skywalkers: A Love Story’ Dances on the Edge of Love
Skywalkers: A Love Story will endure because it’s not trapped in the moment of a daring acrobatic stunt; it’s rooted in the timeless human experience.
Godfrey Reggio’s Beautifully Bewildering ‘Once Within a Time’
Once Within a Time‘s beautifully bewildering carnival of pop surrealist imagery will haunt you long after its 51-minute concludes.
‘Scala!!!’ Is an Enjoyable and Oft-Hilarious Tribute to Alt-Cinephiles’ Elysium
Alternative film theater and music venue Scala’s contribution to British culture was urgent and necessary to counter the government’s regressive social policies.