2026 Sundance Film Festival takes place January 22 to February 1, 2026 in Park City, Utah for one last time before moving to Boulder, Colorado next year. You can also stream some of the selections online from January 29 to February 1. Here are some of the highlights of this year’s lineup: THE INVITE, Olivia […]
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
The story of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is smaller in scope than its predecessor’s. Nia DaCosta uses this to her advantage, crafting an intense film that transports you into its hellish setting. Duran Duran-loving Dr. Kelson is a role Ralph Fiennes was born to play. Jack O’Connell delivers an even more reprehensible villain […]
Or Something
NYC indie Or Something from director Jeffrey Scotti Schroeder and writer, producer, and leads Mary Neely and Kareem Rahma (SubwayTakes) is now available to watch on MUBI. Olivia and Amir, both strapped for cash, meet and connect while trying to collect the money they are owed from a mutual acquaintance in Brooklyn. It is a […]
Goodbye June
Kate Winslet’s directorial debut Goodby June, written by her son Joe Anders, covers similar territory to Azazel Jacobs’ His Three Daughters. I loved how they were able to infuse laugh-out-loud moments into a gloomy atmosphere in the beginning. As the film progresses, it leans more into drama than comedy and never quite reaches the heights […]
Eternity
Romantic films that include love triangles are nothing new, but we seem to be getting better ones after Challengers. Eternity takes its cues from Defending Your Life and other afterlife films, yet feels fresh thanks to its imaginative script. Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner, and Miles Teller share wonderful chemistry. Da’Vine Joy Randolph and John Early […]
Hedda
Nia DaCosta’s Ibsen adaptation HEDDA, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last month, is on Prime Video. DaCosta changes the character of Eilert to Eileen and has other surprises in store for those familiar with Ibsen’s play. Tessa Thompson and Nina Hoss are exhilarating to watch. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s percussion-heavy jazz score fuels the tension […]
Alpha
I’m happy to report that I actually liked Julia Ducournau‘s Alpha after making the long trip to AMC Bay Plaza in The Bronx, where it is having its awards qualifying run this week. At least some of the mixed reviews out of Cannes must have been due to the sky-high expectations after Titane. This is […]
Left-Handed Girl
Shih-Ching Tsou’s delightful Left-Handed Girl instantly became a favorite. If you’re a fan of co-writer Sean Baker, you can pinpoint the parts that are likely his contribution, but this is a women’s story and distinctly Tsou’s own film. Janel Tsai, Ma Shih-yuan, and the adorable young actress Nina Yeh portray these three-dimensional characters brilliantly. It […]
Christy – NewFest 2025
David Michôd’s Christy is one of the strongest conventional dramas I’ve seen this year. There’s nothing conventional about boxer Christy Martin however, a trailblazer in female boxing. Sydney Sweeney and Ben Foster transform into Martin and her coach Jim, a genuinely abhorrent character that would rival any other screen villain in recent memory. Merritt Wever […]
The Chronology of Water – NewFest 2025
Kristen Stewart goes for the poetic in the harrowing The Chronology of Water with mixed results. The highly fragmented non-linear editing used in depicting the deeply traumatic upbringing of the teenage character and her resulting toxic behavior towards others made the first half of the film a tough sit for me. It later finds its […]