8
Tiff 2019: SAINT MAUD Review
Preying on the anxieties over religious zealotry, Saint Maud is an auspicious horror debut that burns with a quiet terror.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
8
8.5
ONE CUT OF THE DEAD Review
It is not everyday you walk away from a film and think the 30-minute, one-take aspect is the least interesting about it, but it is rings true for Ueda's layered horror comedy experience.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
4
WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE Review
While a middling, inoffensive family comedy may be its aim, Where’d You Go, Bernadette allows its divisive filmmaker to make some broad, uncomfortable statements on the nature of genius.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
6.5
THE FANATIC Review
Durst’s film shows a respectable ability to communicate what happens when the fantasy of celebrity breaks down on both sides of the spectrum.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
7.5
Japan Cuts 2019: THE JOURNALIST Review
With a narrative that feels uncomfortably ripped from the headlines, The Journalist reinforces the need for a critical and independent media through the tense lens of a bureaucratic thriller.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
5.5
Japan Cuts 2019: THE MIRACLE OF CRYBABY SHOTTAN Review
The rise of Japanese chess enthusiast Shoji Segawa into the cutthroat professional world makes for some predictable yet crowd-pleasing fare.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
8
Japan Cuts 2019: MELANCHOLIC Review
Drifting through radical tonal shifts with ease, Melancholic is a quirky tale of murder and a quarter-life crisis that confidently hails a fresh directing talent.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
2.5
Japan Cuts 2019: JESUS Review
An exercise in baiting and switching, Jesus promises a quirky faith parable but delivers a sterile and derivative coming-of-age tale.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
4
JAPAN CUTS 2019: ERICA 38 Review
Erica 38 may be based on a true story, but that doesn’t stop it from being flaccid and tedious.
Posted by: Chris Luciantonio
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
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
