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B+
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Lady
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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Nwosu is an exciting filmmaker, imbuing her story with past trauma but also showing the female characters, especially Lady, as survivors who refuse to be defined by the intergenerational misogyny and damage inherent in the culture.
Posted Feb 03, 2026
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B+
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Run Amok
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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Mager is rather daring in her exploration of the desire for catharsis, and just how different that search is for each individual.
Posted Feb 03, 2026
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B+
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One in a Million
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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But the true heart and soul of this film is Nisreen, Isra’a’s mother...My only complaint about One in a Million is that it wasn’t titled Two in a Million and the focus wasn’t shared between Isra’a and film’s true heroine, her mother, Nisreen.
Posted Feb 03, 2026
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B
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Union County
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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(Director) Meeks also has the added boon of the incredibly underrated actor Will Poulter anchoring the film with a thoughtful, moving, understated turn that ripples with complexities.
Posted Feb 03, 2026
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A-
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The Friend's House Is Here
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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it’s especially bracing to see a film that honors the importance of artistic freedom by blurring the lines between life and art. Ataei and Keshavarz have created a cinematic performance art mosaic with their debut feature...
Posted Feb 03, 2026
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B
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The Huntress
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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The Huntress could have easily been just another revenge tale, but in the hands of...Correa, it becomes a compelling portrait of fearless women who come together to force change in the dangerous and misogynistic border town of Juárez.
Posted Feb 02, 2026
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B+
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Hot Water
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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Azabal gives us one tough but conflicted mother, who fiercely loves her child but also misses her family back in Beirut. The charismatic Zolghadri...proves he’s ready for lead parts.
Posted Feb 02, 2026
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A-
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Hanging by a Wire
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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All doc filmmaking is manipulated. Here, at least, it’s done by using the actual people involved and subverting Hollywood tropes. It’s a thrill ride, but also a hopeful story of the good that can come when people do whatever it takes to save lives.
Posted Feb 02, 2026
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A-
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How to Divorce During the War
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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...that’s what makes (the film) such a glorious, chilling and penetrating work. That satiric tone is there throughout, so the film is always one step removed from realism, allowing for a true analysis of the character of the characters.
Posted Feb 02, 2026
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A
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Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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Kikuchi radiates charm, sadness, joy, sensitivity, whimsy, audacity and a joie de vivre, often all together within the span of a few seconds, its sheer enchantment to experience. Her performance is destined to be one of the most outstanding of 2026.
Posted Feb 02, 2026
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B+
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Broken English
(2025)
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Frank J. Avella
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For Faithful fans and those curious about her life and career, it is must-see. And for cinephiles it’s an entrancing cinematic experiment that pays off.
Posted Jan 31, 2026
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B+
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Carousel
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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Pine and Slate do extraordinary work, portraying two messed up souls so afraid of heartbreak, they fight a bond that’s pretty palpable. Sam Waterston is quite moving as Noah’s mentor.
Posted Jan 31, 2026
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A-
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The Incomer
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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I can see how Scottish writer-director Louis Paxton’s wacky and bizarre first feature would be divisive. Comedy this off-the-wall vicious and brutal, well, it’s not for the squeamish. But I found it to be a hilarious good time!
Posted Jan 31, 2026
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A-
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Bedford Park
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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Choi and Sukku, who radiate kinetic energy, are both excellent playing the steely couple who show just enough vulnerability, so we know so much is going on underneath the surface.
Posted Jan 31, 2026
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A-
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Josephine
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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Josephine is deeply engrossing throughout, never dipping into the melodramatic, maudlin or predictable. Instead, there’s a level of empathy and forgiveness in the film that courts the sublime.
Posted Jan 31, 2026
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B-
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Night Nurse
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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This is one looney, unsettling, yet enveloping indie — bold, perverse, fucking bizarre — that I didn’t necessarily enjoy, but I could not stop watching…or thinking about afterwards.
Posted Jan 30, 2026
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B
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Frank & Louis
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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Kingsley Ben-Adir delivers a mesmerizing, multifaceted performance in Petra Biondina Volpe’s somber prison drama, Frank & Louis. And that is reason enough to recommend the film.
Posted Jan 30, 2026
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B
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Shame and Money
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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I appreciated Marina’s humanistic and sometimes enigmatic approach, and the two central performances are excellent, but the film doesn’t quite live up to its ambitions. Still, it’s top-notch filmmaking and I applaud the filmmaker’s passion.
Posted Jan 30, 2026
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B+
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Tell Me Everything
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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Tako, so impressive in his brief role in Israel’s 2024 International Feature Oscar submission, Come Closer, plays the nuances and ambiguities of his part masterfully—we can both relate to him and wonder about who he will become.
Posted Jan 30, 2026
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A
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Hold Onto Me
(2026)
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Frank J. Avella
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Gorgeously shot by Lasse Ulvedal Tolbøll, Hold Onto Me is a poignant, uncompromising look at a deeply flawed man...It strikes all the right notes...Passalis’s fearless, fascinating performance grounds the film.
Posted Jan 30, 2026
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Send Help
(2026)
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Megan McLachlan
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For as over-the-top and high-concept as Send Help is, bubbling under the surface is a whip-smart two-hander from screenwriters Mark Swift and Damian Shannon that feels fresh and compelling without ever teetering into "girl boss" territory.
Posted Jan 26, 2026
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B-
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Hanna K.
(1983)
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Frank J. Avella
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Watching the film again all these decades later, I was surprised by the many things that work, including Clayburgh’s fully invested performance and themes that would definitely play better today than back in the early ‘80s.
Posted Jan 19, 2026
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B+
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Dogtooth
(2009)
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Frank J. Avella
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Yet, as absurdist, enigmatic and dark as Dogtooth gets, it’s mild in comparison to his recent work. But it still provides quite the palpably biting sting.
Posted Jan 19, 2026
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B
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Kiss of the Spider Woman
(1985)
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Frank J. Avella
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...groundbreaking in a number of ways and...still provides great drama and some fabulous camp, even if William Hurt’s flamboyant, Oscar-winning turn hasn’t necessarily aged well. I was, however, entranced by Raul Julia--completely overlooked by AMPAS.
Posted Jan 19, 2026
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B+
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Birth
(2004)
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Frank J. Avella
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With Birth, Kidman, Glazer, and his co-writers, Jean-Claude Carrière and Milo Addica take big risks that mostly pay off, although the sheer nervy nature of the film may have scared both audiences and critics in 2004 as it received mixed reviews.
Posted Jan 19, 2026
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A
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Sinners
(2025)
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Frank J. Avella
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Ryan Coogler’s truly terrifying yet exhilaratingly entertaining thriller, Sinners, is one of the most original and fascinating films of 2025.
Posted Dec 29, 2025
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A
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Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
(2025)
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Frank J. Avella
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The ensemble is fabulous beginning with Josh O’Connor, who does some of his best work... Also standing out in a cast of stand-outs, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Andrew Scott, Thomas Haden Church and, yes, Glenn Close (her hammy style works well here).
Posted Dec 29, 2025
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A
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Hamnet
(2025)
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Frank J. Avella
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A second viewing of Chloé Zhao’s devastating yet sublime film, Hamnet, dug deeper into my gut. The first time around I was appreciating the film and then, blown away by the finale. On watch number two, I savored the mysticism...
Posted Dec 29, 2025
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A
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Marty Supreme
(2025)
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Frank J. Avella
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When I first saw Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme I tweeted that it was "an instant cinematic classic."...I stand by that assessment because it’s truly inspiring filmmaking...
Posted Dec 29, 2025
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B
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A Sad and Beautiful World
(2025)
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Frank J. Avella
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The film soars because of the wonderful performances of its two leads, specifically Akl, who imbues Yasmina with great nuance. The direction is assured and the script, by Aris and Bane Fakih, is smart, funny and properly bittersweet.
Posted Dec 23, 2025
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B+
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Father
(2025)
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Frank J. Avella
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This searing emotionally-compelling drama, inspired by real events, shows how one tragic mistake can instantly shatter the lives of those involved, but Nvotová delves deeper into notions of blame and judgment as well as responsibility.
Posted Dec 23, 2025
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B-
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Heart of the Man
(2025)
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Frank J. Avella
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The gorgeous and gifted Australian actor Parker Little is the reason to see David Cook’s Heart of the Man, a queer-positive movie that can’t decide what it wants to be and is riddled with cliché dialogue.
Posted Dec 23, 2025
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B-
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Fine Young Men
(2024)
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Frank J. Avella
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And just when you think you’re watching a film about two teens navigating the inherent homophobia in a repressed Catholic surrounding, the narrative completely shifts focus—it’s a twist you don’t necessarily see coming.
Posted Dec 23, 2025
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A
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No Dogs Allowed
(undefined)
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Frank J. Avella
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German director Steve Bache’s feature debut, No Dogs Allowed, is a bold, ambitious and disturbing film that takes on difficult subject matter and proceeds to explore taboo themes in the most impressive, non-exploitative manner.
Posted Dec 23, 2025
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B
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For Whom the Bell Tolls
(1943)
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Frank J. Avella
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Bergman and Cooper have great chemistry and Paxinou seizes the screen, stealing all her moments...
Posted Dec 23, 2025
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B+
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Dead of Night
(1945)
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Frank J. Avella
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...the most chilling involving a ventriloquist (Michael Redgrave) and his being driven mad by his dummy. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what terrible fate was awaiting these folks—a testament to the solid storytelling.
Posted Dec 23, 2025
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A
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Howards End
(1992)
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Frank J. Avella
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The film is quite pointed in its indictment of upper-class privilege while also examining characters that stay true to their integrity and idealism in a society that is constantly attempting to erode such things.
Posted Dec 23, 2025
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B+
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The Front Page
(1931)
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Frank J. Avella
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Both Menjou as Walter Burns and Pat O’Brien as Hildy Johnson do spectacular work and Mae Clarke, who got grapefruited by James Cagney in The Public Enemy, superbly attacks all her moments as the much-maligned Molly Malloy.
Posted Dec 23, 2025
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A
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His Girl Friday
(1940)
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Frank J. Avella
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There’s a moment where (Rosalind) Russell’s Hildy is standing in the doorway of the press room, trying to decide whether to stay or go...What she does with no words and just a few facial expressions and body movements is nothing short of miraculous.
Posted Dec 23, 2025
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B+
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King and Country
(1964)
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Frank J. Avella
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King and Country ... tends to lean a bit on the filmed-play side, but the superb acting and keen direction make it a must for film lovers.
Posted Dec 05, 2025
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A-
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Altered States
(1980)
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Frank J. Avella
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...while the final cut of Altered States might not have been to Chayefsky’s liking, it’s certainly a fascinating and transfixing cinematic achievement.
Posted Dec 05, 2025
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B
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Scoop
(2006)
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Frank J. Avella
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Scoop is a moderately amusing Woody Allen comedy with a terrific cast of actors whose winning performances greatly enhance the film.
Posted Dec 05, 2025
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A-
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Él
(1953)
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Frank J. Avella
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Buñuel’s melodramatic romance-turned-terrifying thriller is also peppered with wonderful surreal touches as he dives into societal and religious hypocrisy and take the Catholic Church to task for forever promoting fear and shame.
Posted Dec 05, 2025
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B+
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We Shall Not Be Moved
(2024)
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Frank J. Avella
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Pierre Saint-Martin’s first feature, We Shall Not Be Moved, mixes black comedy with searing drama centering on an elderly woman’s quest for retribution...Saint-Martin’s gem builds to a fascinating climax.
Posted Nov 28, 2025
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B+
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Strange River
(2025)
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Frank J. Avella
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A gorgeous cinematic poem, Jaume Claret Muxart’s haunting, lovely coming-of-age film Strange River...Monter is beguiling to watch as is Wenz, and together, they have the kind of gorgeous faces that inspire artists to create, and gay men to swoon.
Posted Nov 28, 2025
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B
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Only Good Things
(2025)
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Frank J. Avella
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The filmmaker has a daring style all his own and his clever storytelling beguiles, as do his two leads. Both are quite alluring. Drummond looks like he just stepped out of a 1970s leather bar.
Posted Nov 28, 2025
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Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
(2025)
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Joey Moser
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Wake Up Dead Man is sinfully good. It reveals how power can be accelerated by the halls of belief and our deepest, deepest confidences.
Posted Nov 27, 2025
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Stop the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter
(2025)
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Joey Moser
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For Stop the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter, director Zeberiah Newman re-introduces us to an icon with fervor, love, and patient affection.
Posted Nov 25, 2025
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C-
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Pepe
(2024)
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Frank J. Avella
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Arias has lot on his mind including man’s hubris when it comes to his environment. As a filmmaker he shows tremendous promise. But Pepe is like a Pollock painting. You are either sucked in or alienated.
Posted Nov 22, 2025
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C-
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Reedland
(2025)
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Frank J. Avella
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Reedland a strange, visually arresting but so-slow-moving film that leans so much into atmosphere that not much else seemed to matter.
Posted Nov 22, 2025
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