film reviews
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Review by James Carneiro | Mar 01, 2025
Set in Turin at the end of the 19th century, it stars Marcello Mastroianni as a labor activist who becomes involved with a group of textile factory workers who go on strike. The film had its premiere at the 35th Congress of the Italian Socialist Party. The script was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 37th Academy Awards.
Review by James Carneiro | Feb 23, 2025
When Isabelle and Theo invite Matthew to stay with them, what begins as a casual friendship ripens into a sensual voyage of discovery and desire in which nothing is off limits and everything is possible. It is set against the backdrop of the 1968 Paris student riots. The film makes several references to various movies of classical and French New Wave cinema, incorporating clips from films that are often imitated by the actors in particular scenes.
Review by James Carneiro | Feb 14, 2025
Miso lives from day to day by housekeeping. Cigarettes and whiskey are the two things that get her through the day. As cigarette prices and rent start to rise, Miso decides to give up her house for cigarettes and whiskey, leading her to couch surf with old friends while reconsidering her place in life. Microhabitat is Jeon's feature debut, and it was produced independently by Jeon herself.
Review by Aaron Jones | Feb 06, 2025
Just out of jail, crumpled English archaeologist Arthur reconnects with his wayward crew of tombaroli accomplices – a happy-go-lucky collective of itinerant grave-robbers who survive by looting Etruscan tombs and fencing the ancient treasures they dig up. La chimera was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. The film received positive reviews from critics, and is considered as one of the best Italian films.
Review by James Carneiro | Jan 26, 2025
High school seniors and best friends, Sonny and Duane, live in a dying Texas town. The handsome Duane is dating a local beauty, while Sonny is having an affair with the coach’s wife. As graduation nears and both boys contemplate their futures, Duane eyes the army and Sonny takes over a local business. Each struggles to figure out if he can escape this dead-end town and build a better life somewhere else.
Review by Aaron Jones | Jan 18, 2025
In the near future where emotions have become a threat, Gabrielle finally decides to purify her DNA in a machine that will immerse her in her past lives and rid her of any strong feelings. She then meets Louis and feels a powerful connection, as if she had known him forever. The Beast had its world premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival as part of the official competition.
Review by James Carneiro | Jan 08, 2025
Bruno Stroszek is released from prison and warned to stop drinking. He has few skills and fewer expectations: with a glockenspiel and an accordion, he ekes out a living as a street musician. He befriends Eva, a prostitute down on her luck and they join his neighbor, Scheitz, an elderly eccentric, when he leaves Germany to live in Wisconsin. In 2002, Roger Ebert called it "one of the oddest films ever made" when including it as one of his "Great Movies".
Review by Aaron Jones | Dec 28, 2024
In the region of North Ossetia in Russia a young woman named Ada lives with her family in a remote former mining town. Being the only woman in the household, Ada lives with her patriarchal father and two brothers. This dynamic soon reveals a dysfunctional family clinging together in severely unhealthy ways, with the controlling father at the center of the dysfunction and codependency stemming from a past trauma that still haunts their daily lives. The Film won the Un Certain Regard award at the 2021 Cannes Festival.
Review by James Carneiro | Dec 22, 2024
A 1993 British black comedy drama film starring David Thewlis as Johnny, a loquacious intellectual, philosopher and conspiracy theorist. The film won several awards, including best director and best actor at Cannes. Naked marked a new career high for Mike Leigh as a director and made the then-unknown Thewlis an internationally recognized star. For his astonishing performance, David Thewlis won Best Actor award at Cannes Film Festival.