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Stephen Saito
Tomatometer-approved critic
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Apolonia, Apolonia (2022) |
Glob is able to vividly observe [Sokol] growing a singular point of view that will distinguish her as an artist but also make her feel comfortable in her own skin... crafting a radiant closeup after having a little distance from the events covered. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Nov 14, 2023
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Anselm (2023) |
Transcending both time and space, “Anselm” fulfills the potential for art to be truly transporting. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Nov 12, 2023
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What Happens Later (2023) |
Subverts the expectations of what one would expect of Will and Wilehmina’s meet-cute reunion as the artifice of its set-up starts to fall away and the two can get real with one another about where they are in their lives. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Nov 02, 2023
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Perfect Days (2023) |
“Perfect Days” exhibits plenty of wisdom in identifying what’s worth spending time on, making sure yours is well-spent in watching it. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Oct 30, 2023
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Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (2023) |
“Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” may be far from a relaxing watch, but it is an invigorating one when as with any good excursion, it has the ability to recalibrate one’s perspective upon their return. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Oct 30, 2023
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Io Capitano (2023) |
The film is less focused on closures than opening minds and by being bold, it takes after its central characters in surprising with how far it can go. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Oct 30, 2023
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Sweet Dreams (2023) |
Any bitterness amongst the well-heeled family is deliciously tart in Sendijarević’s view, bringing an egregious history up to date for a proper reckoning. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Oct 19, 2023
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Goodbye Julia (2023) |
Tthere’s a simple sophistication to every shot that alludes to the daily interactions having a lot more going on than on the surface and with a light touch, Kordofani is able to make something of considerable weight without ever feeling overbearing. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Oct 13, 2023
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Avenue of the Giants (2023) |
The film not only extends the reach of [its subject's] story beyond his own ability to tell it, but clearly honors his belief that how to connect is as important as the connection itself. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Oct 11, 2023
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Last Straw (2023) |
If “Last Straw” offers something different, it’s in the quality of the production. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Oct 11, 2023
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Together 99 (2023) |
An engaging hangout movie made profound by the years it took and the enduring bond of a cast and crew to make it possible. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Oct 03, 2023
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Origin (2023) |
“Origin” beautifully balances the raw emotion that [DuVernay]’s been able to elicit from the start of her career with the larger notions of connectivity she’s prized more recently. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 27, 2023
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Crumb Catcher (2023) |
While one may wonder how much love there actually is between the newlyweds in “Crumb Catcher,” there’s plenty to fall head over heels for in the satisfying thriller. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 26, 2023
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Falling Stars (2023) |
In gazing up towards the sky, Bienczycki and Karpala find a savvy avenue to look within. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 25, 2023
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Out of Darkness (2022) |
In his debut feature, Cumming shows a real talent for world-building and creating suspense when the danger of uncharted territory can be felt at every turn. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 23, 2023
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Yellow Bus (2023) |
“Yellow Bus” may raise some questions about the foundation on which this modern-day society is built, but its own nuts and bolts are quite sturdy. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 22, 2023
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Shoshana (2023) |
A crackling thriller. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 21, 2023
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Wicked Little Letters (2023) |
“Wicked Little Letters” may revolve around a mysterious author, but a talented cast and crew put their signature all over it. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 20, 2023
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The Movie Teller (2023) |
When the prevailing sensation is being swept up in a movie, it can’t be said that “The Movie Teller” doesn’t stay true to its central character. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 20, 2023
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Memory (2023) |
Franco’s tale of outsiders who find common ground in an unexpected space becomes one of his most accessible dramas while staying true to his distinctive voice. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 18, 2023
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Songs of Earth (2023) |
Moving through the four seasons from spring to winter, there is the feeling that the ground is always shifting beneath one’s feet, but Olin affords the precious opportunity to stand still and take things in. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 16, 2023
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The Contestant (2023) |
A gripping account of what the reality of reality TV really is. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 14, 2023
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Flipside (2023) |
There isn't a wasted second in Flipside, though its director Chris Wilcha might not feel the same way as he tells the story of his life and career thus far. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 13, 2023
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Sing Sing (2023) |
A handful of scenes may run slightly longer than they should, but it’s a small price to pay, considering the deeply empathetic and hugely engaging look “Sing Sing” offers of the carceral system... - Variety
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| Posted Sep 12, 2023
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The King Tide (2023) |
“The King Tide” doesn’t shrink away from the questions it raises, uncompromising in its finale where at least a little more compromise on the part of its characters could’ve gone a long way. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 12, 2023
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Lee (2023) |
Not only does Kuras have an understanding of why Miller saw her camera as a passport after first being a model, but brings a passion to telling her story akin to what drove her subject. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 11, 2023
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Days of Happiness (2023) |
Taking a story with some conventional turns and giving them juicy twists in telling of a skilled technician who only begins to let more of herself spill into her work, Robichaud has obviously conquered these issues in her own art. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 10, 2023
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His Three Daughters (2023) |
An all-timer. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 09, 2023
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We Grown Now (2023) |
Truly magical. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 09, 2023
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Gasoline Rainbow (2023) |
"Creating a new canon of young adult adventures where everything feels slightly more beautiful and pure than one’s own memories but gives the deep down sense that you’re right there with the people on screen." - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 09, 2023
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Silver Dollar Road (2023) |
An absorbing, methodical and damning indictment of how selective enforcement of laws have adversely impacted Black home ownership. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 09, 2023
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Green Border (2023) |
Holland’s full embrace of her righteous indignation at the still-unfolding situation on the border of her native Poland electrifies “Green Border.” - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 08, 2023
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Copa 71 (2023) |
“Copa 71” connects an entire lineage of the sport and reveals that while its popularity has been recognized more recently, it might be even greater if more of it was on the record. - Variety
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| Posted Sep 08, 2023
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Warm Blood (2022) |
Any analog-era sense of ironic detachment gives way to an obvious affection for the community the film’s set in and while the threat of it all disappearing looms large, preserving it on film becomes just one admirably defiant act of many. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 06, 2023
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Hesitation Wound (2023) |
Riveting. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 04, 2023
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The Featherweight (2023) |
There are other stories about the post-professional struggles of athletes, but the style of “The Featherweight” is particularly effective when it is exposed enough to show how mythmaking works — taking something true and building a fiction on top of it. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 03, 2023
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The Monk and the Gun (2023) |
Perhaps “The Monk and the Gun” may tell of a time when Bhutan sought lessons from the rest of the world, but it has plenty to say now about other nations attempting to preserve their democratic values and disarming enough to cut through the noise. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 03, 2023
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Finally Dawn (2023) |
For an illusion, “Finally Dawn” really captures something, having that ineffable, impressive quality that keeps one coming back to the movies. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Sep 01, 2023
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Thank You Very Much (2023) |
“Thank You Very Much” finds that by demystifying Kaufman, the more of a mystery his career becomes as he tested the limits of what the public would tolerate and still stick with him, becoming as much a film about us as much as him. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Aug 31, 2023
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No Right Way (2023) |
In telling a story of parts that align unexpectedly, “No Right Way” takes shape accordingly, turning disparate elements into a strong yet playful dramedy. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Aug 25, 2023
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New Life (2023) |
It's a jolting sensation to see [a trope] like a trembling hand reach for a door and not knowing which side the scare is actually on, but in "New Life," it's a door that's well worth opening. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Aug 09, 2023
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Booger (2023) |
Time stands still in “Booger,” at least for those watching on when it is so arresting, feeling less like someone is gone than someone has arrived. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Jul 31, 2023
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The Becomers (2023) |
Taking full advantage of the lovely conceit that an individual’s spirit decoupled from the skin they were born into is still capable of making a connection with another, what’s underneath "The Becomers" truly counts. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Jul 23, 2023
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Lost Soulz (2023) |
[The main character] isn’t the only one to take something raw and find the resonance in it in “Lost Soulz,” which sees a number of promising artists going places. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Jun 19, 2023
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The Gullspång Miracle (2023) |
While [director Maria] Fredriksson does the engaging work of keeping the audience guessing, she makes the most of the opportunity to get at larger questions about human nature. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Jun 17, 2023
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Rolling Along (2023) |
Less surprising for the fact that the Rhodes Scholar is a tremendous storyteller than how it may serve as an autobiography, but far more about how people who passed through his life affected him rather than the other way around. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Jun 17, 2023
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This Is Not Financial Advice (2023) |
There is value to what Temple and Ingrasci capture in this current moment. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Jun 11, 2023
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The Graduates (2023) |
When speaking to the trouble of simply wanting to move on from a tragedy, “The Graduates” proves arresting. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Jun 10, 2023
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Mountains (2023) |
Careful to sprinkle in the narrative equivalent of scotch bonnets, [director Monica] Sorelle and co-writer Robert Colom arrive at something delicious. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Jun 10, 2023
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Transition (2023) |
The premise alone is bound to get attention for “Transition,” but it’s the unique perspective that Bryon has, working with co-director Monica Villamizar, that makes the cinematic memoir provocative. - Moveable Fest
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| Posted Jun 09, 2023
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