Review: “Anora”

Who is Anora, and what does she want? It’s a question I found repeatedly popping up in the back of my mind as I watched writer and director Sean Baker’s film, the title of which shares his protagonist’s name but not much interest in answering those queries. There are a few points I can confirm. […]

Review: “Eileen”

When we first meet Eileen Dunlop (Thomasin McKenzie), she’s sitting in her car by the chilly New England seaside, shoving a handful of snow down her skirt after witnessing a couple making out in another car parked nearby. Later, at her job at a local corrections facility, she fantasizes about the attractive guard on duty, […]

Review: “Anatomy of a Fall”

“I really wanted to address the legal issue in its smallest details, to address the issues of the couple, of living together. It was also a pretext to dissect every bit of their life.” Justine Triet stated the above to the magazine Paris Match following the world premiere of her courtroom drama Anatomy of a […]

Review: “Infinity Pool”

We’re all guilty of indulging in a little self-destructive behavior every once in a while. But while for me the extent of that may be shoveling an entire pizza in my face in one sitting, for James Foster (Alexander Skarsgård), it’s the idea of what he can get away with by throwing some money around […]

TIFF Review: “Moonage Daydream”

Toronto International Film Festival 2022 Special Presentations North American Premiere After its over-stimulating opening, a barrage of sound and color, “Moonage Daydream” takes a pause, cutting to a clip of a young woman sitting on the steps outside of a stage door, sobbing, a button with David Bowie’s face on it pinned to her lapel. […]

Review: “Spencer”

Anyone heading into “Spencer” looking for a Princess Diana biopic needs to check their expectations at the door. Director Pablo Larraín’s film, written by Steven Knight, opens with the statement that this is “a fable based on a true story.” “Spencer” is a reimagining of Diana’s life and state of mind circa 1991, as she […]

Review: “Pig”

“Pig” is not quite the movie I—and I think many others—expected it would be. Not that I necessarily had specific expectations for a film with such a bizarre premise: a forager (played by an exceedingly scruffy Nicolas Cage) travels from his isolated woodland existence to the city of Portland on a quest to recover his […]