Contributor Ian Mantgani

A person with reddish-brown hair wearing a purple coat standing next to a large video camera on a tripod, with a red case nearby, in a grassy field.
Festivals

Varda by Agnès – first look review

by Ian Mantgani

The first lady of French cinema offers a final, typically fascinating self-portrait.
A person with a large Afro hairstyle performing on stage, singing into a microphone.
Festivals

Amazing Grace – first look review

by Ian Mantgani

Sydney Pollack’s long-lost concert doc shows the Queen of Soul at the height of her pop fame.
Two adults, a man and a woman, walking along a city street. The woman has a serious, concerned expression on her face.
Festivals

The Operative – first look review

by Ian Mantgani

Diane Kruger and Martin Freeman star in this intriguing tale of espionage in modern-day Tehran.
A man wearing a suit and tie, seated at a desk, holding a telephone receiver to his ear. He appears to be in deep thought as he looks away from the camera.
Festivals

Watergate – first look review

by Ian Mantgani

Charles Ferguson’s mammoth chronicle of President Nixon’s downfall manages to be at once too detailed and too superficial.
A man wearing round glasses and a thick coat holding a camera, standing in a snowy street.
Festivals

Mr Jones – first look review

by Ian Mantgani

Agnieszka Holland’s biopic of Welsh journalist Gareth Jones is one of the most powerful films at this year’s Berlinale.
A woman with long hair sits at a table in a cafe, pensively looking out of a window while holding a cup of coffee.
Festivals

Fourteen – first look review

by Ian Mantgani

American filmmaker Dan Sallitt delivers a delicate, subtly devastating portrait of friendship and depression.
Two people, a man and a woman, seated in a room with books and curtains visible in the background.
Festivals

The Kindness of Strangers – first look review

by Ian Mantgani

This year’s Berlin Film Festival gets off to an inauspicious start care of Lone Sherfig’s fusty New York ensemble drama.
Close-up of a woman with dark, curly hair and a serious expression, in low lighting.
Festivals

Madeline’s Madeline – first look review

by Ian Mantgani

Josephine Decker returns with a commanding, emotionally bracing study of teenage psychosis.
A middle-aged man in a military uniform with various medals and insignia, sitting on a sofa and looking directly at the camera.
In Praise Of

In defence of Al Pacino’s performance in Scent of a Woman

by Ian Mantgani

There’s something deeply entertaining and moving about his widely ridiculed lead turn.
Trailers

Watch the gorgeous restoration trailer for La Strada

by Ian Mantgani

Federico Fellini’s third feature, about a petit female clown and her strongman sidekick, gets a 2K spit-shine.
Three elderly men sitting on a bench, one wearing a hat, surrounded by greenery.
Review

Going in Style

by Ian Mantgani

Zach Braff directs this subpar septuagenarian comedy about giving mortality the slip.

2
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Black silhouette of octopus-like creature emerging from a dark triangle against a plain cream background, with text "THERE IS A HELL, THIS IS WORSE" and "THE VOID".
Review

The Void

by Ian Mantgani

Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski’s cosmic horror-thriller fails to live up to its initial promise.

4
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect

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