Is This Thing On? is dramatically satisfying while providing plenty of laughs, some of which come from the standup material. Bradley Cooper is working on a smaller scale than his previous two films, achieving excellent results. Will Arnett and Laura Dern complement one another wonderfully as a couple on the rocks. It is strange to have […]
Urchin
Urchin is a very impressive feature directorial debut with a brilliant central performance from Frank Dillane. Harris Dickinson and his team make excellent use of colors, light, and zoom all the while telling a compelling story of poverty and self destruction with surreal touches. It was nice to hear Desireless’ Voyage Voyage again after Compartment […]
Marty Supreme – NYFF 2025
Marty Supreme is a loud, wild, and chaotic hustler story that is a distant relative of Uncut Gems with shocking, stressful, and riotously funny Safdie moments throughout. Timothée Chalamet continues his streak of performances where he completely inhabits his character. Odessa A’zion is exceptional, and Abel Ferrara has a couple of insane scenes. The way […]
Sentimental Value – NYFF 2025
Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value is the most compelling drama of the year so far. He is able to bring out career-best performances from the talented ensemble cast of Renate Reinsve, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Stellan Skarsgård, and Elle Fanning. He and his writing partner Eskil Vogt have crafted a tight, pitch-perfect script, containing little details such […]
Blue Moon – NYFF 2025
In a career full of noteworthy performances, Ethan Hawke’s turn as lyricist Lorenz Hart in Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon still stands out. It is one of his most remarkable yet. The single location narrative by Robert Kaplow is something you’d expect to see on stage, but Linklater transforms it into a talky, funny, and melancholic […]
Jay Kelly – NYFF 2025
Jay Kelly will likely be Noah Baumbach’s most widely appealing film to date. It is full of laughs and is often touching without being overly sentimental. George Clooney and Adam Sandler’s characters fit them like a glove, with Sandler impressing once again in a role that deviates from his broadly comedic onscreen persona. The traditional […]
The Secret Agent – NYFF 2025
Kleber Mendonça Filho directs The Secret Agent as if he’s conducting a symphony. There are numerous moving parts that blend together perfectly. Wagner Moura is charming and spellbinding and stands out among a cast of many remarkable characters. At a time when stories of oppression under dictatorships are as relevant as ever, KMF constructs one of […]
One Battle After Another
Others were not exaggerating. With its impeccable script, humor, performances, and visuals, One Battle After Another is easily the best film I have seen this year. Chase Infiniti, Sean Penn, DiCaprio, and Teyana Taylor stand out among an all-around exceptional cast. It’s hard to overstate Jonny Greenwood’s contribution to the film through his incredible score. […]
Six Days in Spring – San Sebastián 2025
Winner of the Best Director and Screenplay awards at this year’s San Sebastián Film Festival, Joachim Lafosse’s SIX DAYS IN SPRING is a breezy drama capturing divorced mother Sana (Eye Haïdara) and her two sons on vacation in Saint-Tropez. After her original plan of staying with her boyfriend Jules (Jules Waringo) falls apart and she […]
To the Victory! – Toronto 2025
Valentyn Vasyanovych’s To the Victory!, which won the Platform Award at TIFF 2025, looks at the war in Ukraine from a perspective that is not often talked about. It envisions a near future in which, despite the war’s end, the women and children who fled at the conflict’s onset do not return to their war-ravaged […]