drama

THE KISSING BOOTH: A Crash Course in Lazy Filmmaking
THE KISSING BOOTH: A Crash Course In Lazy Filmmaking

Compared to other teen classics that have covered the same ground before, The Kissing Booth comes across as amateurish – and a tiny bit problematic.

Orbiter 9: Indie Sci-fi Just About Lives On
ORBITER 9: Indie Sci-fi Just About Lives On

Orbiter 9 recalls independently minded sci-fi films such as Sunshine and Moon – but lives in the shadow of its very obvious inspirations.

BREAKING IN: Mom Can’t Save This Mess

With a severe lack of thrills and a shortchanged main character, Breaking In fails in nearly every regard.

TERMINAL: Robbie's Adventures In A (Criminal) Wonderland
TERMINAL: Margot Robbie’s Adventures In A (Criminal) Wonderland

Inspired by Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Terminal is visually and thematically strong, despite its over-simple script and occasional over-acting – all in all a promising directorial debut for Vaughn Stein.

BEAST: A Monstrously Great Slow-Burning Mystery
BEAST: A Monstrously Great Slow-Burning Mystery

Beast is a gritty psychological-mystery with a brilliantly dark, pulsating and atmospheric heart, with an exceptional lead performance from Jessie Buckley. Michael Pearce delivers a brilliantly assured and confident feature-length directorial debut.

Tribeca Reviews: ZOE, IN A RELATIONSHIP & WOMAN WALKS AHEAD

Kristy Strouse reviews her final batch of films from Tribeca Film Festival, including Zoe, In a Relationship, and Woman Walks Ahead.

Tribeca Film Festival: DEAD WOMEN WALKING: A Solemn Walk to an Impactful Film
Tribeca Review: DEAD WOMEN WALKING: A Solemn Walk To An Impactful Film

Hagar Ben-Asher’s Dead Women Walking creates the opportunity for conversation and examination while humanizing those individuals that society has locked away without a further care or thought of.

THE SEAGULL: A Picturesque Drama Anchored By Three Great Women
THE SEAGULL: A Picturesque Drama Anchored By Three Great Women

The Seagull is a gorgeous adaptation of one of the world’s most beloved plays. The characters are not always likable, but what the film has to say about love, art, fame, and other human desires remain powerful even in the age of Internet celebrity.

Cannes Review: EVERYBODY KNOWS: A Multi-Tasking Kidnap Drama One Sud Short Of Soap Opera
Cannes Review: EVERYBODY KNOWS: A Multi-Tasking Kidnap Drama One Sud Short Of Soap Opera

Asghar Farhadi’s Everbody Knows is a melodrama that takes itself too seriously – one that pulls in each and every direction to try and find some thematic footing, and ends up not saying too much about anything.

BREATH: Simon Baker's Puberty Blues
BREATH: Simon Baker’s Puberty Blues

Despite Baker’s adept directional skills, and solid performances from the whole cast, Breath feels inconsequential, and the sombre visual and thematic tone feels like every other Australian social realist drama.

Let The Sunshine In: Juliette Binoche Delights In Off-kilter Rom-com
LET THE SUNSHINE IN: Juliette Binoche Delights In Off-kilter Rom-com

Director Claire Denis is choosing a more diverse range of film projects than any other time in her career – and it’s best exemplified by Let the Sunshine in, a romcom that subverts genre expectations on the hunt for true love.

Tribeca Reviews: Women-Directed Coming-of-Age Films: ALL THESE SMALL MOMENTS, LEMONADE, THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST, and LITTLE WOODS
Tribeca Reviews: Women-Directed Coming-of-Age Films: ALL THESE SMALL MOMENTS, LEMONADE, THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST & LITTLE WOODS

David Fontana discusses four films directed by women that show transitional periods of life, from an adolescent teen to an immigrant mother attempting to make it in America.

AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF HER BEAUTY: The Power Of Metacinematic Poetry
AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF HER BEAUTY: The Power Of Metacinematic Poetry

An Oversimplification of Her Beauty is a solid stroke of inventive creativity and artistic integrity, all buttressed by a profound love and understanding of film.

PRODIGY: The Ongoing Importance Of "Script First"
PRODIGY: The Ongoing Importance Of “Script First”

Prodigy had potential, but unfortunately, the story was rushed into production instead of being allowed to marinate and be seasoned with time.

ZAMA: New Beginnings, Old Myths
ZAMA: New Beginnings, Old Myths

Director Lucrecia Martel’s first film in a decade is an opaque and potentially challenging film that is best appreciated as a purely sensory experience.