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One Battle After Another: Video Review by Matthew Schuchman

©Courtesy of Warner Bothers I’ve been following Paul Thomas Anderson’s career from square one. My friend’s and I rented Sydney (I know they named it Hard Eight, but I still call it Sydney), when it his video stores shelves. Whether we were rolling on the floor laughing at a matchbook spontaneously combust in John C….

NYFF/The Mastermind Review: Masterful Kelly Reichardt and Josh O’Connor’s Subtle Sting

©Courtesy of MUBI She has been called the quietest of the great American directors. Kelly Reichardt doesn’t rush. She clears away the unnecessary and takes her time capturing the American soul. Now she returns with something as unusual and unlikely as an observational heist movie. Her style works wonders. Set in a sleepy Massachusetts suburb…

TIFF/Christy Review: Sydney Sweeney Packs a Punch in Biopic Boxing Drama

Photo by Eddy Chen – © courtesy of Black Bear Boxers have always been symbols of grit in a cinema. They fight not just opponents, but demons of pride, poverty, and identity. From Sylvester Stallone’s underdog triumph in “Rocky“ (1976) to Robert De Niro’s bruising portrait of self-destruction in “Raging Bull“ (1980), the ring becomes a…

Rhode Island International Film Festival Review: Nate and Moriah in Venice is a Slow-Burning Portrait of Love Lost and Found

There are some fantastical, romanticized love stories that burn fast and bright. There are other love stories, notably the new dramedy Nate and Moriah in Venice, that are instead textured and imperfect. Writer-director Austin Balke crafted a mesmerizing romantic story that highlights the quieter spaces of connection. The titular characters thrive in the stolen glances,…

‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’ Is Missing a “B” In The Title: Boring

The premises of the new film directed by Kogonada are thrilling. A wonderful cast: Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell in the leading roles, supported by Kevin Kline and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. A fantastical plot: portal doors that open up to a path of self-discovery. And a screenplay written by Seth Reiss, who was critically acclaimed for The…

TIFF/ Dead Man’s Wire Review: Gus Van Sant Back in Shape with a Splendid Bill Skarsgård

©Courtesy of TIFF David Lynch’s surreal “Eraserhead“ was about to flicker onto screens, and Jimmy Carter had just been sworn in as president. It was early 1977 — post-Kennedy, post-Watergate America — when Indianapolis businessman Tony Kiritsis stormed into an office and wired a sawed-off shotgun to the back of a mortgage broker’s head. What followed…

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues Video Review by Matthew Schuchman

The world’s best fake band has never really called it quits. But, they haven’t had another full length movie since their 1984 breakthrough, This is Spinal Tap. The original, which holds a special place in my heart, as I am sure it does for many; wasn’t the instant classic people make it out to be….

TIFF/ Frankenstein Review: Jacob Elordi Stuns in Guillermo del Toro’s Visually Grand Gothic Tale

©Courtesy of Netflix Watching a Guillermo del Toro film feels like discovering a forgotten fairy tale in a mausoleum — lush, disturbing, and hard to forget. The Mexican filmmaker crafts fables for grownups: grotesque yet tender, brutal yet poetic. More than just spectacle, we can’t stop liking his emotional monsters — from “Pan’s Labyrinth” (2006) to “The…

‘The History of Sound’ Review: a Stunning Drama That Shows the Connection Between Art, Emotions and Time

@Courtesy of MUBI Which is the best movie ever made about gay romance? In my case, it’s always been a split decision between Happy Together (1997) by Wong Kar-Wai and Brokeback Mountain (2005) by Ang Lee.  Well, after yesterday’s press screening, such uncertainty has been expanded to The History of Sound by Oliver Hermanus. Based…

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, The Anime Movie

©Courtesy of Sony Pictures  Instead of ghost-busting, demon-slaying could be the top movie profession of the 2020’s. Five years before the KPop Demons Hunters became a breakout sensation, the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime franchise (based on Koyoharu Gotouge’s manga) released the #1 global box-office champion of 2020. Admittedly, that year came with an…

TIFF: ‘Nuns vs. The Vatican’ Dismantles The Holy Patriarchy

Cinema, television and media have been exposing more and more the shady business inside the Catholic Church, whether it was through the Paramount+ series Murder of God’s Banker, Netflix’s miniseries Vatican Girl: The Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi or the Academy Award-winning film Spotlight. Through the years several dark sides of the Vatican have been exposed….