Latest

Older woman with dark hair and younger woman with red hair and glasses, both looking directly at the camera.

Janet Planet – first-look review

by Charles Bramesco

Annie Baker’s debut feature about a mother and daughter is magical and assured drama that announces the Pulitzer Prize winner as a filmmaking talent as well as a literary one.

Black and white image showing a man lying down, with a woman leaning over him. They appear to be outdoors in a wooded setting.

Festivals

Green Border – first-look review

by Charles Bramesco

Veteran filmmaker Agnieszka Holland offers a stirring, stark depiction of the refugee situation in Europe, as Syrians fleeing war face harrowing interrogation at the Polish-Belarusian border.

Two men in casual clothing standing before an American flag backdrop.

In Praise Of

Michael Bay’s American Nightmare: Bad Boys II at 20

by Olivia Hunter Willke

Two decades on, Michael Bay’s nihilistic, hyper-violent police drama serves as a state of the union address.

A person with long hair standing in a shower, with water droplets visible.

Review

Smoke Sauna Sisterhood review – one to reflect on in the bath

by Saskia Lloyd Gaiger

Anna Hint’s intimate, drowsy documentary observes a group of women cleansing their bodies and sharing secrets in a traditional smoke sauna.

Baltimore – first-look review

by David Jenkins

Imogen Poots shines in this angular, fragmented portrait of English rose-turned-firebrand activist Rose Dugdale from Irish filmmakers Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy.

A man sitting on the ground, hugging his knees in a forest setting. He appears pensive, with a serious expression on his face.

Festivals

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt – first-look review

by Charles Bramesco

Raven Jackson’s feature debut announces a striking visual talent, following the story of a young woman’s life in rural Mississippi.

A black and white image showing a group of people queuing outside a shop window, some wearing suits or casual clothing.

Festivals

Celluloid Underground – first-look review

by David Jenkins

This fascinating and melancholy documentary sees an Iranian exile in London looking back to the stranger-than-fiction roots of his formative cinephelia.

Podcast

BlackBerry | The Burial | The Dirties (2013)

On Truth & Movies this week, it’s a tech bro nightmare in BlackBerry. Jamie Foxx takes on the funeral home industry in The Burial, and for film club, we revisit BlackBerry Director Matt Johnson’s debut, The Dirties.