Even before his international recognition as one of Germany’s leading filmmakers, Christian Petzold was already cultivating and mastering his thematic and stylistic preoccupations. Bearing his…
Ghost Lab works as a bit of weirdo fun for a while, but the film’s playful tone is obliterated halfway through and never recovers. At…
One of the great madcap poets of the American cinema, Alan Rudolph has seemingly slipped into irrelevance since his heyday in the 1980s and ’90s.…
“Harun [Farocki] told me that for people of his generation, the left-wing students, [Night and Fog] was the movie that showed them what had happened…
For more than five decades now, Clint Eastwood’s longevity as both an A-List Hollywood star and director has been nothing short of astonishing. Sure, he’s…
Deliver Us from Evil fails in both its attempts at severe drama and action spectacle, proving an equal opportunity offender in the process. If the title…
Plan B has its heart and messaging in the right place, but frequently undercuts its intent with one-step-forward-two-steps-back developments. At first glance, director Natalie Morales’s Plan…
RK/RKAY plays like something of a witty, warm riff on the absurdist stylings of early Charlie Kaufman, and pulls it off. Anybody who has tackled a…
Given its gimmicky genesis, Dementia Part II surprises as a bit of legitimate, over-the-top fun. At only 66 minutes — and that includes the opening credits…
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit has plenty of heart and restraint, but viewers will likely wish for a bit more ambition. Based on the semi-autobiographical children’s…
Endangered Species is a lean, mostly successful little thriller that proves director Bassett’s legitimate genre chops. It’s difficult to remember now, but the last decades of…
Benny Loves You is nothing if not a passion project, but one likely to be loved only by its creator. Murderous toys are nothing new to…
OK, so things don’t really vanish anymore: even the most limited film release will (most likely, eventually) find its way onto some streaming service or…
Port Authority boasts a thoughtful, intimate texture, but somewhat betrays its material in its character perspective. Going into Port Authority, two outcomes feel equally likely:…
Cruella begins from a stupid premise and proceeds to do little more than inspire product development and contribute to the Dalmatians Easter egg canon. A…
Skull: The Mask indulges in unnecessary table-setting, but once it gets to the good stuff, it’s a throwback, labor-of-love gore fest. There’s a charmingly roughshod, handmade…
Moby Doc is an absurd vanity project, proving Moby is less a fun meme and more an insufferable dope. Moby is, by most accounts, something of…
Jia’s latest is a didactic, propogandist exercise, and something of a punctuating about-face from his best work. In a 2003 essay, Jia Zhangke — now…
Little of the personality or energy of Barrett’s scriptwork is on display in Seance, a drab, generic horror dud. Since 2010’s A Horrible Way to…
A Quiet Place Part II succeeds in much the same way as the original — as a sturdy, thoughtful, and understated exercise in genre. Box-office success…