film commentary
Zach Clark (White Reindeer) Talks Tim Burton’s Big Eyes
When the creative team behind the movie that made you want to be a director reunites 20 years on, how high should your expectations be?
David Lowery (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints) Talks Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Winter Sleep
Its heady seriousness and three-hour running time make this year's Palme d'Or winner a daunting prospect, but the film holds slow-burning pleasures.
Lawrence Michael Levine (Wild Canaries) Talks Mike Leigh’s Mr. Turner
A film by a great director about the artistic struggles of a brilliant painter provides inspiration and solace to a rising independent filmmaker.
Terence Nance (An Oversimplification of Her Beauty) Talks Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings
The latest (problematic) biblical epic is deconstructed on an epic scale.
Nathan Silver (Exit Elena) Talks Eric Rohmer’s A Tale of Winter
At his second attempt, the Brooklyn director writes about one of the Tales of the Four Seasons, plus a deal with the devil and Kelsey Grammer sitcoms.
Novelist and Screenwriter Bret Easton Ellis (The Canyons) Talks Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice
One of Thomas Pynchon's novels is finally brought to the big screen, but can even of the greatest American cinematic visionaries do it justice?
Jason Osder (Let the Fire Burn) Talks Göran Hugo Olsson’s Concerning Violence
The Swedish documentary director's latest archival film tackles the topic of breaking free from colonial bonds, but its approach is problematic.
Ti West (The Sacrament) Talks Chris Rock’s Top Five
The new directorial effort by one of the funniest men in Hollywood goes beyond humor to reach something personal, and in that lies its greatness.
Actor/Screenwriter Randy Russell Talks Serge Bozon’s Tip Top
The French actor-turned-director's latest fuses the police procedural with an off-kilter sex comedy in a surprising (and oddly life-affirming) way.
Jim Hemphill (The Trouble with the Truth) Talks Roman Polanski’s Macbeth
Newly out from Criterion, Polanski's take on "the Scottish play" is a work of troubled genius which has long been unfairly overlooked.
Leigh Janiak (Honeymoon) Talks Steven Soderbergh’s The Knick
The smell of death and a striving for betterment define Soderbergh's beautifully crafted turn-of-the-century miniseries, a TV show for the ages.
Vincent Grashaw (Coldwater) Talks Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook
A standout at Sundance, this smartly constructed Australian horror film taps into primal fears about both family ties and the boogeyman under the bed.











