film reviews
Explore a range of experiences, from Hollywood blockbusters to art films and indie gems. We offer thoughtful insights, in-depth analysis, and curated suggestions to help you discover both new favorites and enduring timeless classics.
Review by Aaron Jones | Oct 08, 2024
Following the gorgeous, seemingly liberated Adriana as she chases her dreams in the Rome, I Knew Her Well is at once a delightful immersion in the popular music and style of Italy in the sixties and a biting critique of its sexual politics and the culture of celebrity. In 2008, the film was included on the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage’s 100 Italian films to be saved, a list of 100 films that "have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978."
Review by Aaron Jones | Sep 24, 2024
An American travels to Bhutan searching for a valuable antique rifle and crosses paths with a young monk who wanders through the serene mountains, instructed by his teacher to make things right again. It was selected as the Bhutanese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards, and was one of the 15 finalist films in the shortlist.
Review by Aaron Jones | Sep 11, 2024
In an English boys’ boarding school, social hierarchy reigns supreme and power remains in the hands of distanced and ineffectual teachers and callously vicious prefects in the Upper Sixth. Three Lower Sixth students, Wallace, Johnny and leader Mick Travis decide on a shocking course of action to redress the balance of privilege once and for all. The film was the subject of controversy at the time of its release, receiving an X certificate for its depictions of violence.
Review by Aaron Jones | Aug 29, 2024
Following the everyday lives of a group of young theater performers from rural Fenyang, spanning the late 70s to the early 90s in the aftermath of China's Cultural Revolution, the film explores the country's rebuilding and transition. Platform has garnered wide acclaim from critics in the years since its release, and is often named one of the greatest films of the 2000s.
Review by Aaron Jones | Aug 19, 2024
The world has been ravaged by nuclear war. The planet is frozen and radiation kills anyone that ventures outside of ‘The Dome’. Soft is a shepherd for the last remnants of humanity who have gathered together as they await rescue from a mysterious craft known only as ‘The Ark.’ He wanders among the masses, performing his regular daily tasks - keeping morale from plummeting, wooing prostitutes, squashing rebellions, and sometimes feeding the hungry.
Review by Lauren Gallagher | Aug 10, 2024
1990s, Banpo Town, rural China. A woman’s body is found by the river. Ma Zhe, Chief of the Criminal Police, heads up the murder investigation that leads to an obvious arrest. His superiors hurry to congratulate him, but several clues push Ma Zhe to delve deeper into the hidden behaviour of his fellow citizens. The film was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section of the 76th Cannes Film Festival.
Review by Aaron Jones | Jul 29, 2024
In this classic thriller, Hans Beckert, a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt. Beckert’s heinous crimes are so repellant and disruptive to city life that he is even targeted by others in the seedy underworld network. With both cops and criminals in pursuit, the murderer soon realizes that people are on his trail, sending him into a tense, panicked attempt to escape justice. It is widely considered one of the greatest films of all time, and an indispensable influence on modern crime and thriller fiction.
Review by Aaron Jones | Jul 15, 2024
Two quirky, cynical teenaged girls try to figure out what to do with their lives after high school graduation. After they play a prank on an eccentric, middle aged record collector, one of them befriends him, which causes a rift in the girls’ friendship. Ghost World debuted at the Seattle Film Festival in 2001. It had little box office impact but received critical acclaim, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Screenplay. Today it is a well known cult film.
Review by Aaron Jones | Jul 05, 2024
At a tiny Parisian café, the adorable yet painfully shy Amélie (Audrey Tautou) accidentally discovers a gift for helping others. Soon Amelie is spending her days as a matchmaker, guardian angel, and all-around do-gooder. The film received widespread critical acclaim, with major praise for Tautou's performance, the cinematography, visuals, production design, sound design, editing, musical score, writing and Jeunet's direction.
Review by Aaron Jones | Jun 24, 2024
The scandal of the 1973 Cannes Festival, director Jodorowsky’s flood of sacrilegious imagery and existential symbolism in The Holy Mountain is a spiritual quest for enlightenment pitting illusion against truth. The Alchemist (Jodorowsky) assembles together a group of people from all walks of life to represent the planets in the solar system. The occult adept’s intention is to put his recruits through strange mystical rites and divest them of their worldly baggage before embarking on a trip to Lotus Island. There they ascend the Holy Mountain to displace the immortal gods who secretly rule the universe.