Conclave
CONCLAVE is an intelligently constructed film, where embellishments to its surface-level thriller mystery allow for its transubstantiation into an altar for broader themes.
Category Archives: Reviews
Since Yesterday
SINCE YESTERDAY joyously celebrates the work of groups that, by all rights, should be better known today, and paints a vibrant picture of their artistry but also a damning picture of sexism, classism, and London-centrism that still plagues the UK’s arts scene today.
Megalopolis
MEGALOPOLIS’s proposed worldview may be naive, sometimes presented immaturely, and have enough minor embellishments and subplots in the narrative to border on the incoherent, but their expression certainly doesn’t lack sincerity and optimism.
Joker: Folie À Deux
FOLIE Á DEUX may mean this iteration of the Joker leaves cinemas with a whimper, but at least it finally had something to say with its dying breath. Jim Ross reviews.
Sujo
A picturesque chronicle of a young man’s life and the long shadow cast from whence he came, SUJO represents another assured piece of work from the creators of IDENTIFYING FEATURES.
Stranger Eyes
STRANGER EYES is a film that is both deeply cynical and resoundingly humane in portraying the hyper-surveilled Singapore. Everyone is under scrutiny, but their humanity remains beyond the camera’s gaze.
The Substance
Coralie Fargeat’s THE SUBSTANCE is a delirium-inducing concoction of numerous body horror films and literary influences, further combining an askew glance at fame and a gaudy gore aesthetic to an eye-catching effect.
The Critic
THE CRITIC approaches a dynamic historical era whose high stakes parallel today’s with a dearth of imagination and humanity. It looks handsome, but its heart is hollow.
Starve Acre
STARVE ACRE’s distinctive qualities have roots in Daniel Kokotajlo’s eye for unsettling images that build dread and a balance of special effects work and plot developments that toe the line adeptly between unnerving and absurd.
Woken
WOKEN is a sci-fi thriller that packs a punch disproportionate to its small scale and short length. Despite some unfortunately clumsy tropes deployed in the third act, WOKEN still has enough twists and turns and enough contemporary relevance to be a thriller worth checking out.