Emily the Criminal is a solid thriller that is elevated by two excellent lead performances.
Continue readingEmily the Criminal (2022)
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Harka (2022)
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There is something inevitable about the trajectory of Ali’s life in Lofty Nathan’s sunbleached drama of hopelessness that foreshadows the start of the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia in 2011.
Continue readingWar Pony (2022)
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It’s worth lauding this film simply because of its collaborative creation with Hollywood heavyweight Riley Keough adding weight to what is essentially an authentic indigenous story.
Continue readingPromising Young Woman (2020)
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I have been waiting for the release of this one for many months. The trailer is a cracker with a drunk Cassie (Carey Mulligan) being picked up a series of ‘nice guys’ who then sexually assault her in her comatose state.
Continue readingHappiest Season (2020)
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Christmas movies ideally should give us love and hope and not drown us in corn syrup. This queer Christmas rom-com has just enough tartness to balance the sugar.
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From it’s whimsical name to it’s awkwardly stylish mise en scène, Licorice Pizza should feel like a sweet and poignant dip into growing up in the 70s. Then why does it feel so creepy?
Continue readingThe Northman (2022)
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Robert Eggars (The Lighthouse (2019), The Witch (2015)) gives us toxic masculinity writ large without a shred of irony or insight.
Continue readingWoodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror (2021)
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First-time feature documentary director Kier-La Janisse gives us a fascinating deep dive into the world of ‘folk horror’ films and what they say about fear, colonialism and the ‘other’.
Continue readingThe Nowhere Inn (2020)
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Messy, arty and wry, this mockumentary by Bill Benz weaves the true-life friendship of Carrie Brownstein and Annie Clark, stage-name St. Vincent, with a rumination on fame, identity and artifice.
Continue readingSmooth Talk (1985)
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Beginning as a familiar story of a rebellious teenager pushing against the confines of her family, Joyce Chopra takes us down a dark path that perfectly captures the strength and vulnerability of a young woman.
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