Tired of watching the world circling the drain? Would you like to smile for 108 minutes? Then trust me, drop everything and watch Hundreds Of Beavers now! This low-budget indie instant classic marks the feature directorial debut of Mike Cheslik who spent four years making it, including over 1500 effects shots in freezing temperatures in... Continue Reading →
Films and movies often operate on different planes of existence. Some films feel like homework. Some take you to distant lands and shine a light on different cultures. Some intimately expose the human condition. But movies? Well, my favorite kind of movies thrive on pure adrenaline, action and sexual excitement. Who doesn’t love looking at... Continue Reading →
Some of my favorite films feel like pulpy fever dreams. Think of Stanley Kubrick or Brian De Palma at their best or the early 20th century dime novels and you’ll get a sense of the otherworldly, heightened tone I gravitate towards. Consider my surprise then when Rose Glass, who made a little splash in 2019... Continue Reading →
The new queer cinema of the 1990s gets reborn courtesy of one of its OGs, Todd Verow. With his micro-budget new thriller, You Can’t Stay Here, co-written by longtime collaborator James Derek Dwyer, that raw, confrontational, punk sensibility feels like a breath of fresh air in our current stale, over-processed cinematic environment. Harkening back to... Continue Reading →
I’m of the opinion that every year can be a really good year for movies if you’re willing and able to do a little digging. But transcendent, formula-defying, unforgettable work seems to come along much less frequently. In 2023, I repeatedly saw a rare level of greatness, almost a rewriting of cinematic language. I think... Continue Reading →
Whenever filmmaker Jonathan Glazer releases a new film, and he has only made four in the past 23 years, I sit up and take notice. Sexy Beast, Birth, and Under The Skin made lasting impressions, and his latest, The Zone Of Interest, has profoundly affected me more than any other film I’ve seen this year.... Continue Reading →
People love moviegoing for so many different reasons. Whether it’s the adrenaline rush, the exploration of different worlds and cultures, the pure fantasy, a good laugh or cry, or perhaps just the air conditioning and popcorn, seeing a film in a cinema can feel beautifully communal. Take the talkers and texters out of the equation... Continue Reading →
Who would have ever expected a film set in the ultra macho, extremely homophobic world of lucha libre wrestling to serve as a celebration of women and effeminate gay men? Director Roger Ross Williams along with co-writer David Teague have crafted such an experience with their biopic, Cassandro, the true story of Saúl Armendáriz, an... Continue Reading →
For me, anything remotely socially redeeming has always felt like the death knell for comedies. Whenever Hollywood has a lesson to teach me, I would prefer to skip school, thank you very much. I like my teenage movie heroes dazed, confused, and taking days off if they want to make me laugh. Well, thank goodness... Continue Reading →
Ira Sachs’ films tend to examine the complexities of adult relationships using a quiet, dry naturalistic tone which has often reminded me of the style of French New Wave cinema. So it feels fitting that his latest, Passages, his fifth collaboration with writing partner Mauricio Zacharias, would have Paris as its background. Featuring three stellar... Continue Reading →
