Steve Erickson
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s return to form might be explained by his looking backward: the director has chosen to grapple with the fact that many of the pessimistic prophecies of his earlier films have come true.
No one argues about Israel or Hamas, or even mentions the words. All the same, caring this much about Palestinians’ lives is inherently political.
The story’s surprising degree of feeling for Joaquin Phoenix ‘s Joe saves “Eddington” from simply serving as fodder for overheated social media discourse and crusading op-eds.
Instead of living the life of James Bond, the spy hero of “Ghost Trail” copes with PTSD, the result of living in exile and surviving torture.
“Caught by the Tides” eludes the narcissistic congratulation found in self-referential cinema because it absorbs Jia’s early work to create something that has the shock of the new, as much as it builds on the past.
Bruno Dumont has always been a divisive filmmaker, drawn to provocation, and the wacky sci-fi parody of the comedy-drama “The Empire” has proven to be no exception.
The apocalyptic overtones of the Mekons’ music come across as alarmingly real as ever.
Despite “The Annihilation of Fish”’s warmth and optimism, it’s a wonky film.
“Eephus” could’ve become a piece of conservative-leaning nostalgia but, to its credit, it refrains from making small-town sports great again.
In his debut feature, director Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel mistakes gratuitous strangeness for genuinely uncanny adventure.
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