Across the two features she’s made to date, Payal Kapadia has emerged as a luminous new voice in Indian cinema, exploring the personal as political through her shimmering, empathetic portraits of working-class Mumbai. Her first feature, “A Night of Knowing Nothing,” opened with unsent love letters, from a film student to her estranged lover, discovered … Read more
Amidst the grim offerings of the Chicago International Film Festival, I found myself comforted by a trio of documentaries, which enchant in their reminder that the hope of renewal and transformation is never too far away. A son trying to connect with his mother amid her late-stage dementia, the construction of an iconic Chicago monument, … Read more
We talk with Billy Crystal, Jacobi Jupe, Rosie Perez, and Judith Light about their latest, Before on AppleTV+ Billy Crystal has long been a favorite of mine when it comes to comedy. Classics like When Harry Met Sally, Throw Momma From the Train and Cityslickers all played a part of my younger years. And now, … Read more
Simultaneously showing how death alienates us from ourselves and brings us closer to community, Azazel Jacobs’ tender and trenchant “His Three Daughters” explores the limits of what we can control while grieving. It’s a testament to the imperfect, rating, yet healing power of family amid tragedy. The film wastes no time throwing viewers into the … Read more
Three films that feel like they could be in the conversation come awards season comprise this Toronto International Film Festival dispatch of second takes on flicks we already hit at Karlovy Vary and Venice, led by further proof that Nicole Kidman is one of our best working actresses, a performer who has always been fearlessly … Read more
Before anything else, there was that voice. Rich, regal, majestic, magnificent, and instantly recognizable—it seemed to come from a part of Heaven reserved solely for true greatness. Back in the day, it boomed out of your TV, announcing that “This is CNN.” Even further back in the day, it bellowed out of one of the … Read more
It’s been two weeks since Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine slashed its way into theaters, giving Marvel zombies a much-needed jolt to the nether regions with absurd action, cameos, and surprises. It’s Spoiler City on social media now, and avoiding many of the movie’s “big pops” is tricky. Ryan Reynolds is happy to share some of … Read more
Rather the film is best when it’s austere. This is a complicated story of teenagers navigating their bodies and wants in a society that doesn’t see their sense of introspection as worthwhile, in fact, it often labels it demonic. Sikharulidze eloquently expresses these obstacles through a visual language that plays as strict and classical, relying on his … Read more
Payal Kapadia was one of the most exciting names announced for this year’s competition. Her debut feature, “A Night of Knowing Nothing,” which screened in Directors’ Fortnight three years ago, was a distinctive, politically charged hybrid film that melded documentary and archival footage with a fictitious voice-over to reflect on student protests and casteism in … Read more
Marvel animation head Brad Winterbaum addresses showrunner Beau DeMayo’s sudden exit from the animated revival series X-Men ’97. On the eve of its Disney+ debut on March 20, X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo exited the project unceremoniously. Questions surrounding DeMayo’s departure started circulating immediately when the news reached social media and other outlets. Nowadays, the stewards of … Read more