Disco Elysium  is a rare and precious gem indeed: a video game that utilizes the language of the medium to its full potential....

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus  is innovative in the elegant simplicity of its style and structure. It’s not a traditional documentary, lacking...

The Greasy Strangler . Aggressively weird. Mostly dug its vibe (kinda reminded me of Frank Henenlotter’s work). Never want to see or...

Sam Raimi’s greatest strength as a director has always been his sincerity. Although there is certainly a degree of humor in his...

[ The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! ] For an otherwise typical summer blockbuster, Alien: Romulus  has...

[ The following review contains MINOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! ] Never let the two lives touch. Trap  is a film about identity....

Batman: Caped Crusader  does not aspire to be the definitive interpretation of the eponymous superhero, nor is it a postmodern...

I should have my head examined for sleeping on Mikey and Nicky for so long; it’s the exact flavor of old school indie cinema that I...

Despite its title, Twisters isn’t really about tornadoes. Don’t get me wrong; they serve a vitally important narrative function. They are...

Conquest is dark even by the usual standards of the dark fantasy genre. Armies of savage beast-men roam the untamed wilderness,...

[The following review contains MINOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] Japan Cuts frequently programs movies about amateur filmmakers—a...

[The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] When introducing Japan Cuts’ recent screening of Toshiharu Ikeda’s...

[The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] Kubi is a film of deliciously compelling contradictions. A period...

Nezumikozo Jirokichi—recently screened as part of Japan Cuts’ Shorts Program 2–managed to hit three major categories on my annual...

[The following review contains MINOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] Look Back opens with a shot that seems simple at first glance, but...

[The following review contains frank descriptions of sexually explicit material (albeit in a tasteful, artistic context); YOU HAVE BEEN...

[The following review contains MINOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.] The Box Man is based on a Kobo Abe novel that is—according to my...

Recently, I’ve noticed that some amateur critics online (particularly on Twitter, but elsewhere, as well) tend to evaluate films as...

Despite watching Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence way back in college (on a borrowed DVD copy that I certainly hope I eventually returned...

Czech filmmaker Jiří Barta’s stop motion adaptation of The Pied Piper is a triumph of style as substance. Every frame is both...