Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ Is a Trivial Goof Pretending at Ambition
Francis Ford Coppola’s bonkers “fable” about the clash of dreams and cynicism, Megalopolis, has a potent but unfounded belief in its importance.
Film Review
Murder and Apocalypse in Pop Art 1960s Mash-up ‘Fata Morgana’
The Barcelona School made avant-garde films nobody could understand, such as the pop art 1960s mash-up, Fata Morgana. But it sure looks good.
Arch Oboler’s ‘Bwana Devil’ Mauls the First 3D Movie Audience
Arch Oboler’s Bwana Devil kicked off the 1950s 3D movies craze with a man-eating lion story, and 70s years later it’s trying to get its claws into audiences.
Quirky Comedy ‘Between the Temples’ Delights in the Unconventional Types
Nathan Silver’s 1970s-styled throwback Between the Temples is a comedy of people awkwardly fumbling toward purpose, faith, and meaning.
Teen Horror Film ‘Cuckoo’ Is a Deliriously Fun Mess
For his teen horror film Cuckoo, director Tilman Singer tries to tame his wild and creative imagination into something more commercially friendly, with mixed results.
‘Playing With Fire’ Will Burn the Uninitiated
Alain Robbe-Grillet’s Playing With Fire marks a curious effort when considered in the scope of cancel culture today, yet it compels nonetheless
The Family-Friendly ‘Bookworm’ Is a Reunion – with a Twist
Ant Timpson and Toby Harvard’s Bookworm effuses charm and humour, and reveals the Jekyll and Hyde-like sides of their creative personas.
Animated Sci-Fi ‘The Time Masters’ Challenges Conformity
René Laloux’s conformity-challenging animated sci-fi The Time Masters resonates with Hayao Miyazaki films and Jack Vance novels.
A Bittersweet Tale of Childhood Innocence, ‘Misunderstood’ Charms
Initially dismissed as a film for children, Misunderstood reveals some mature ideas about childhood and family and would sit better with adult audiences.
Unlike Her Music ‘I Am: Céline Dion’ Is Not a Mournful Drama
Unlike how her subject’s music can be, Irene Taylor’s biography I Am: Céline Dion is not a mournful drama. That doesn’t mean it’s easy.
Thriller ‘The White Rabbit’ Ensnares Viewers in Hitchcockian Fashion
Thriller short film The White Rabbit ensnares viewers with a joke, a nightmare, and an illusion in a sly interplay that evokes Hitchcock’s Rear Window.
Mexico’s Golden Age of Cinematic Melodrama: ‘Victims of Sin’
In Emilio Fernández’s Victims of Sin, a galaxy of important Mexican film and music artists collaborate on a tale of mambo music, martyred mothers, and melodrama.