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Raging Grace
(2023)
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Nuha Hassan
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Raging Grace’s story recognises the experience of immigrants and the challenges they go through to fit into society. It conveys the ultimate sacrifices of migrant workers and provides an exceptional social commentary on race and colonialism.
Posted Sep 08, 2023
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Polite Society
(2023)
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Nuha Hassan
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With an endearing story and action-packed sequences, Manzoor’s Polite Society is a joyful movie that could potentially turn into an instant classic.
Posted Sep 08, 2023
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Run Rabbit Run
(2023)
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Nuha Hassan
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After all the metaphors and horror tropes, Reid’s Run Rabbit Run is an undercooked supernatural film which had the potential to bring new ideas. However, it resulted in a missed opportunity to tell a story on the trauma and grief of motherhood.
Posted Sep 08, 2023
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Dawning
(2022)
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Nuha Hassan
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Dawning fails to create a cohesive narrative with all of these elements. It abandons part of the themes and narratives to focus more on mental health and grief, which isn’t terrible, but the result is not entirely successful.
Posted Sep 04, 2023
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Along for the Ride
(2022)
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Nuha Hassan
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Whether Along for the Ride will be an immediate favourite among viewers is difficult to say, but the spontaneity and butterflies of teenage love are undeniably present in this take on young teenage romance.
Posted Sep 04, 2023
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Stay the Night
(2022)
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Nuha Hassan
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A charming movie with the idea and premise set perfectly, Stay the Night’s strongest aspects would be the cinematography by Conor Fisher and Jeyapalan’s brilliant storytelling.
Posted Sep 04, 2023
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Hit the Road
(2021)
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Nuha Hassan
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The rawness and the expressions captured in Hit the Road make the journey even more special, and when the youngest family member sticks his head through the sunroof and blissfully yells the chorus of the song, everything comes together.
Posted Sep 04, 2023
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Gehraiyaan
(2022)
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Nuha Hassan
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Gehraiyaan’s characters dominate the screen just like the ocean, and Batra focuses on the relentless examination of the human condition.
Posted Sep 04, 2023
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Black Crab
(2022)
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Nuha Hassan
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There may never be an answer to all the unanswered questions in Black Crab, but one thing is for certain, the movie lacks certain elements of crucial storytelling.
Posted Sep 04, 2023
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Americanish
(2021)
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Nuha Hassan
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Zawahry’s Americanish has so many elements that elevate the story and bring in a positive ending for all of the characters.
Posted Jul 20, 2023
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Definition Please
(2020)
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Nuha Hassan
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Day’s family dramedy challenges a lot of the expectations of the South Asian community. It’s a story about a family that struggles with the past, due to death and mental health, and how it affects them as a whole.
Posted Jul 20, 2023
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The Last Letter From Your Lover
(2021)
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Nuha Hassan
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The Last Letter from Your Lover is not the epitome of romance, as the cast lacked chemistry and the messages lacked meaning.
Posted Jul 20, 2023
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Luca
(2021)
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Nuha Hassan
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Even with Luca’s dynamic premise and grand visual splendor, it is not special. Perhaps Pixar’s magic is dimming slowly.
Posted Jul 20, 2023
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The Woman in the Window
(2021)
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Nuha Hassan
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It’s safe to say that The Woman in the Window does not care to deliver a clear resolution, nor does it care to keep the viewer interested for long.
Posted Jul 20, 2023
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The Mitchells vs. the Machines
(2021)
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Nuha Hassan
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It is an animated feature that includes so many cliches, and yet, it is fun and quirky with a burst of visual storytelling about a family that learns to communicate just in time to save the world.
Posted Jul 20, 2023
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Shayda
(2023)
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Nuha Hassan
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Shayda is a touching drama that features a woman’s struggle for freedom and self-determination. The ending perfectly harmonises with the vulnerable details of motherhood and being free from the constraints of patriarchy and cultural norms.
Posted Jul 19, 2023
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Kim's Video
(2023)
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Jessica Scott
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This playful, introspective, and daring documentary becomes a part of Mondo Kim’s story, setting up a funhouse mirror that shows the true reflection of the people who would do anything to protect film access for those who truly love movies.
Posted Feb 24, 2023
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No Escape
(2020)
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Jessica Scott
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There aren’t a lot of new ideas in No Escape — it’s best described as Saw meets Hostel for the Instagram generation... That doesn’t mean that it’s not entertaining or has nothing to say, though.
Posted Dec 27, 2022
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12 Hour Shift
(2020)
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Jessica Scott
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Thrilling and hilarious, 12 Hour Shift is a marvel of gallows humor that takes the viewer on an exhilarating ride through half a day in the life of a group of captivating, desperate people who make increasingly terrible decisions.
Posted Dec 27, 2022
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The Last Thanksgiving
(2020)
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Jessica Scott
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The Last Thanksgiving’s humor and aesthetics are pitch perfect for a self-consciously goofy slasher throwback, but the humor undercuts its valid point about the true nature of Thanksgiving.
Posted Dec 27, 2022
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Scare Me
(2020)
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Jessica Scott
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Though it runs out of steam at times, Scare Me is a smart meta-commentary on horror films that tackles serious issues with wry humor.
Posted Dec 23, 2022
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My Heart Can't Beat Unless You Tell It To
(2020)
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Jessica Scott
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My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To has an overwhelming sense of grim melancholy and resignation, like a weighted blanket woven out of dashed hopes, resentful obligation, and innumerable regrets.
Posted Dec 22, 2022
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Blood Red Sky
(2021)
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Jessica Scott
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It may draw from obvious influences, but it is its own movie, standing alone as a suspenseful, moving, and surprising film from start to finish.
Posted Dec 22, 2022
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Shelf Life
(1993)
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Jessica Scott
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Shelf Life spent nearly 30 years — an entire generation — hidden away from the world. Even more relevant now than it was when it was first released, the film offers a morbidly comic vision of the effects of paranoia, bigotry, and isolation.
Posted Dec 19, 2022
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A Love Song
(2022)
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Jessica Scott
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A quiet rumination on finding connection and beauty in the smallest of things, this is a film that celebrates the sadness of life and finds hope in it.
Posted Dec 17, 2022
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Buoyancy
(2019)
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Jessica Scott
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[Buoyancy] shines a light on the nightmares that so many people are living through at this very moment. The tense, minimalist naturalism makes sure that the story gets under the viewer’s skin and pierces their ignorance or complacency.
Posted Dec 07, 2022
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Words on Bathroom Walls
(2020)
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Jessica Scott
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Words on Bathroom Walls is far from perfect, but — due in large part to its phenomenal cast — it’s an enjoyable teen dramedy that takes a positive step forward in onscreen mental health representation.
Posted Dec 07, 2022
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Breaking Surface
(2020)
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Jessica Scott
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Writer-director Joachim Hedén’s survival thriller Breaking Surface is a tense and heart-wrenching examination of sisterly bonds that are tested by a terrifying diving accident made all the more dangerous by the looming specter of unresolved family wounds.
Posted Oct 17, 2022
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Violation
(2020)
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Jessica Scott
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Violation is a sensitive and thoughtful examination of what it really means to survive sexual assault and to live with trauma for the rest of your life.
Posted Oct 17, 2022
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Piggy
(2022)
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Jessica Scott
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Piggy is a morally and psychologically complex film about the consequences of bullying and fatphobia; a traumatic story that refuses easy catharsis but feels innately true.
Posted Oct 12, 2022
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18 1/2
(2021)
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Jessica Scott
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Steadfastly refusing to choose just one genre, but maintaining a compelling and unique tone throughout, 18½ captures just how ludicrous and doomed America truly is.
Posted Aug 16, 2022
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2.5/5
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My Name Is Pauli Murray
(2021)
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Yasmin Omar
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The film's unimaginative aesthetic language diminishes Murray and straitjackets her complexity.
Posted Oct 28, 2021
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The Swerve
(2018)
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Dax Ebaben
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The Swerve is a cinematic experience that plays like a strange dream, the kind where the uncanniness seems to cause irrational fear.
Posted Aug 31, 2021
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9/10
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Sator
(2019)
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Mary Beth McAndrews
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Sator is more than a film; it's a gorgeous and haunting experience. No words can truly do justice to this film and what it feels like to watch it.
Posted Feb 16, 2021
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5/10
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Promising Young Woman
(2020)
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Mary Beth McAndrews
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Fennell's initial desire to subvert the patriarchy reveals itself to be misunderstanding the subject of sexual violence and rape culture.
Posted Feb 16, 2021
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7/10
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Sputnik
(2020)
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Mary Beth McAndrews
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Sputnik is a confident debut from Abramenko, who demonstrates a mastery of the genre by paying homage to the sci-fi of the past while also creating something unique and breathtaking.
Posted Feb 16, 2021
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9.5/10
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Host
(2020)
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Mary Beth McAndrews
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By adapting to current world events and the popular technology that goes with it, Host further proves how crucial found footage is in capturing social fears.
Posted Feb 16, 2021
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