9.5
Japan Cuts 2019: BULLET BALLET Review
Like an insane descent into the dreary streets of Tokyo’s gang-ruled underground, Shinya Tsukamoto’s Bullet Ballet is a landmark entry in Japan’s punk-film movement.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
9.5
6
Japan Cuts 2019: RED SNOW Review
Weighed down by a poorly handled mystery plot, Red Snow is an airless exploration of repressed trauma and past guilt that is just too dour to follow.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
8.5
Japan Cuts 2019: AND YOUR BIRD CAN SING Review
And Your Bird Can Sing is a subtle meditation on bacchanal self-destruction that mines unspoken moments for unexpected impact.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
9
Japan Cuts 2019: THE KAMAGASAKI CAULDRON WAR Review
As a chilling portrait of a city in turmoil and a boisterous tribute to its struggling residents, The Kamagasaki Cauldron War is the comedy for the proletariat told with invigorating realism.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
8
NYAFF 2019: MAGGIE Review
Maggie is a puzzling oddity whose creative aimlessness endears itself to its head-scratching audience.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
8.5
NYAFF 2019: 5 MILLION DOLLAR LIFE Review
#NYAFF Review: Deftly tapping into a common Millennial anxiety, 5 MILLION DOLLAR LIFE is a sardonic, existential exploration of one's value in society.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
7.5
NYAFF 2019: THE ODD FAMILY: ZOMBIE FOR SALE
A fresh take on the tired zombie formula, played with enjoyable farcicality by a standout cast, makes The Odd Family: Zombie for Sale an absurdist delight.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
6
NYAFF 2019: JAM Review
By exploring the small overlaps between, and coincidences among, the stories of complete strangers, Jam fails to become as good as the sum of its parts.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
5
NYAFF 2019: WHITE SNAKE Review
Full of gratuitous eye candy, White Snake is a derivative exercise that wrongly believes overloading itself with style and action can sustain yet another take on the ancient Chinese legend.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
7
VIOLENCE VOYAGER Review
Violence Voyager remains a disturbing bait and switch of gory delights for all who can stomach it.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
7.5
NYAFF 2019: DARE TO STOP US Review
While trying to sell you on the maverick, anarchist sensibilities of its central subjects, Dare to Stop Us slots itself into standardized yet serviceable biopic formula.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
5
NYAFF 2019: HARD-CORE Review
Not even the inclusion of a robot could invigorate the stale, self-pitying lowlife comedy, HARD-CORE, into anything endearing.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
4
GHOST LIGHT Review
Ghost Light squanders what goodwill its cast builds up on a confused deluge of lackluster plots.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
8.5
PLUS ONE Review
Plus One finds the heart and hilarity in taking on the chaotic onslaught of wedding season with cringey glee.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
3
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Review
Extracurricular Activities is an intriguing premise that is completely let down by the bland, tonal failure of the film’s execution.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
5.5
CHARLIE SAYS Review
Charlie Says is a formulaic biopic of Manson's followers whose execution borders on the irresponsible.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
