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.
Continue readingHappiest Season (2020)
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Licorice Pizza (2021)
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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.
Continue readingFreshman Year (A.K.A. Shithouse) (2020)
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This odd and meandering meditation on adolescent vulnerabilities slowly warms your heart as you watch college freshman Alex (writer, director and star Cooper Raiff) get a grip on life.
Continue readingLanguage Lessons (2021)
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Natalie Morales transcends the all-too-familiar (thanks COVID-19) movie-made-on-screens gimmick to bring us an intensely moving story of human connection.
Continue readingMayor (2020)
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This is a beautifully-made documentary that carries us close beside the mayor of the Palestinian city of Ramallah, Musa Hadid, as he goes about his day, dealing with everything from fountains to Israeli aggression.
Continue readingSweet Thing (2020)
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A low-budget family affair with a crew made up of director Alexandre Rockwell’s film students, Sweet Thing feels like a home movie as seen through the eyes of children.
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