Hoard
HOARD has some elements which could be tidied up. Still, the sum of this precarious pile of performances, imagery, and characters is a film of deep-rooted emotion and a beautiful mess by design.
Category Archives: Reviews
Penal Cordillera
PENAL CORDILLERA delivers on its intriguing premise with a close examination of the characters of arrogant, formerly powerful men.
Saltburn
SALTBURN ends up feeling like an aristocratic British estate. Superficially, it looks wonderful, but the deeper you get, the more you see the cracks and how much this symbolic edifice is crumbling away with nothing meaningful to hold it up.
Talk to Me
We’ve all been at a party when the beer runs out, but you’re not ready to call it a night, so rather than swiping whatever disgusting liquor is sitting in your parents’ kitchen, why not summon some actual spirits?
Ferrari
The joy of watching motorsports is seeing the fiery passion that burns in the soul of everyone taking part, and racing fans know when they see that exact triumphant feeling. Sadly, FERRARI fails to capture that passion.
Fair Play
FAIR PLAY may not be as smart and original as it initially seems, but the momentum, central performances, and cranked-up drama deliver an engrossing takedown of fragile male entitlement and the roles many inhabit to advance despite it.
Fremont
FREMONT rarely puts a foot wrong, even if the walking speed is meandering to the point of dallying.
Stay Awake
STAY AWAKE’s interest in a microcosm of the US opioid crisis rather than the grand picture limits the film’s scope, and its emotional strength is limited by an insistence on diverting attention away from the addict.
Passages
The character of Tomas, whose emotional and sexual openness reflects commitment to art and new experiences, embodies Ira Sachs’s PASSAGES – uncomfortable and challenging but exhilarating and captivating.
Lie With Me
The events of LIE WITH ME would seem trivial to anyone other than the two concerned parties, and it is the everyday details and bucolic setting that allow character moments to organically emerge.