With a round table of committed performances and suitably irreverent, yet sensitive tone, Gus Van Sant’s film succeeds in uplifting without regressing to inspirational cliché.
Grounded in authenticity to a fault, Eighth Grade captures the torturous isolation and anxiety of early teen life on the social fringes, but is held back by a slack narrative and dull pace.
A feast for the eyes if not necessarily the brain, Alita: Battle Angel brings enough wide-eyed, visual splendor to offset its narrative clunk.
Boasting dramatic performances rivaling that of the most powdered royal courtiers and with trademark off-kilter humor, The Favourite cements “Lanthimos Style” in the filmmakers’ lexicon.
More interested in its subjects than taking political or ethnic sides, Among Wolves captures life after war with raw, affecting honesty.
A grief story within a ghost story, Personal Shopper simmers slowly, letting its narrative and emotional beats unfurl with measured confidence, anchored in a pinnacle performance from Kristen Stewart.
