Bust Magazine

Tomatometer-approved publication
Rating Title/Year Author
5/5 Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020) Lydia Wang In Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Hittman perfectly contrasts two equally dismal environments. EDIT
Posted Mar 13, 2020
3/5 Swallow (2019) Lydia Wang Though the feminist themes at Swallow's center... would benefit from a subtler touch, the film's arresting details are engrossing enough to satisfy any fan of psychological thrillers. EDIT
Posted Mar 6, 2020
5/5 Premature (2019) Bry'onna Mention Premature is an extremely vulnerable portrait of a Black teen girl in love... It's also a necessary reality check for those who may have forgotten what real teen love looks like. EDIT
Posted Mar 5, 2020
3/5 The Photograph (2020) Bry'onna Mention The Photograph exceeds expectations by simply just being a regular, degular love story. EDIT
Posted Feb 18, 2020
4/5 The Lodge (2019) Georgia Dodd The cinematography and frightening imagery of The Lodge is captivating and the acting is haunting. EDIT
Posted Feb 11, 2020
3/5 The Assistant (2019) Lydia Wang After so much breathless build-up, the film deserves a climax that's just a bit less understated-and adds something new to the conversation around abuses of power. EDIT
Posted Jan 31, 2020
3/5 The Turning (2020) Georgia Dodd This film gloriously takes on female dismissal and the ways women can be forgotten, but the ending leaves little to the imagination. EDIT
Posted Jan 28, 2020
Black Christmas (2019) Joline Faujour Though, at times, the movie is simplistic, it works as a girl-power answer to a beloved holiday horror. EDIT
Posted Dec 23, 2019
3/5 Seberg (2019) Abygai Pena Seberg doesn't get Jean Seberg's story quite right. EDIT
Posted Dec 13, 2019
4/5 Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) Jenni Miller An exquisite period piece about love between headstrong women, with a large dollop of art theory to boot. EDIT
Posted Dec 6, 2019
4/5 In Fabric (2018) Lydia Wang Director Peter Strickland spins a yarn set in a world of ambient electronic soundtracks, pseudo-witches, and costumes that are killer-literally. EDIT
Posted Dec 5, 2019
3/5 Paradise Hills (2019) Lydia Wang The story itself is pretty simplistic, which is a disservice to both the film's all-star cast and the beautiful, grim world Waddington creates. EDIT
Posted Oct 18, 2019
Pause (2018) Deborah Krieger Pause is not an easy or a pleasant film to watch, but it does have individual moments and sequences that are simply transfixing, as well as a strong, well-defined painterly aesthetic. EDIT
Posted Sep 27, 2019
3/5 Judy (2019) Emma Davey A testament to the sheer joy and wonder that Garland brought to millions of people. EDIT
Posted Sep 26, 2019
Ready or Not (2019) Abygai Pena Ready or Not is your premiere summer slasher with plenty of substance to go around. EDIT
Posted Sep 24, 2019
3/5 Britt-Marie Was Here (2019) Noa Wollstein Fraught with tropes, Britt-Marie falls flat. EDIT
Posted Sep 23, 2019
Hustlers (2019) Joline Faujour Hustlers is just as thrilling as it might sound... EDIT
Posted Sep 19, 2019
4/5 Vita & Virginia (2018) Lydia Wang Arterton and Debicki give outstanding performances, and their onscreen chemistry is palpable, which makes up for everything else this movie lacks. EDIT
Posted Sep 10, 2019
The Art of Self-Defense (2019) Deborah Krieger The Art of Self-Defense pulls no punches. EDIT
Posted Aug 15, 2019
The Farewell (2019) Abygai Pena The Farewell reveals a diverse culture of grief alternatives unknown in the West of carrying grief together. EDIT
Posted Aug 14, 2019
5/5 One Child Nation (2019) Elise Zimmerman One Child Nation encapsulates the pain that so many women endured at the hands of the one-child policy, and in doing so, Wang assures that their stories will not be forgotten. EDIT
Posted Aug 9, 2019
5/5 Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (2019) Bry'onna Mention Fans of Morrison's work will fall even more in love with her here, where her warm demeanor is on full display. EDIT
Posted Aug 2, 2019
2/5 The Nightingale (2018) Lydia Wang The Nightingale places literal horror over plot, characterization, and any kind of analysis. EDIT
Posted Aug 2, 2019
Midsommar (2019) Jay Graham The film highlights all that there is to be afraid of in broad daylight. And it leaves audiences deeply rattled, if not utterly reeling. EDIT
Posted Jul 17, 2019
4/5 Sword of Trust (2019) Emily Rems The improv aspect makes the pacing and dialogue feel a bit unpolished at times, but the overall impact is pleasurable and delightfully weird. EDIT
Posted Jul 11, 2019
Red Joan (2018) Deborah Krieger Red Joan itself is reportedly based on the story of Melita Norwood, who passed the Soviets' information on the West's nuclear development. Sadly, Norwood's Wikipedia page is more of a thrilling yarn than most of Red Joan. EDIT
Posted Jun 28, 2019
2/5 Wild Rose (2018) Jenni Miller A film needs more than a wildly careening narrative arc and some admittedly terrific musical performances to hold itself together. EDIT
Posted Jun 14, 2019
Late Night (2019) Gracie Western Go see Late Night - for the jokes, the heart-wrenching moments, and maybe to remind yourself one more time that women are funny(ier) than men. EDIT
Posted Jun 7, 2019
Booksmart (2019) Gretchen Sterba Booksmart delivers a fresh and relevant take on high school in 2019 and does so with wit, ease, and a whole lot of love. EDIT
Posted May 23, 2019
3/5 Charlie Says (2018) Jenni Miller Charlie Says wasn't made to glorify the Manson family, but unfortunately the film's acid-drenched orgies are its most compelling parts. EDIT
Posted May 13, 2019
Diane (2018) Deborah Krieger Kent Jones, primarily known as a film critic, clearly understands what makes a good story and how best to tell it. There's not a false note in the movie, a point where you might think: "oh, no one actually would say that." EDIT
Posted May 9, 2019
3/5 Ask Dr. Ruth (2019) Lydia Wang An emotional and enjoyable highlight reel for those who have grown up watching her onscreen. EDIT
Posted May 3, 2019
Knock Down the House (2019) Emma Davey Knock Down the House is a deeply satisfying tribute to the strength and power of women who have been underestimated and their immense accomplishments in the face of a hostile political climate. EDIT
Posted May 3, 2019
Someone Great (2019) Jacinda Mia Perez It's a warm, funny and familiar exchange between friends, much more romantic than any display of affection I've seen between two people at the end of a typical rom-com. EDIT
Posted Apr 23, 2019
Starfish (2018) Deborah Krieger Starfish was written, directed, and scored by A. T. White, primarily a musician by trade, and it's completely fitting in how it uses sound to fully evoke the horror elements of the story. EDIT
Posted Apr 19, 2019
3/5 Family (2018) Erika W. Smith In the end, though, Family is yet another uptight-career-woman-learns-how-to-loosen-up story-with some added Juggalos. EDIT
Posted Apr 19, 2019
Josie and the Pussycats (2001) Emma Davey It's a silly film, yes, but it also served as a critical commentary to the culture of the early aughts. EDIT
Posted Apr 11, 2019
5/5 Gloria Bell (2018) Jenni Miller Moore is endlessly watchable. EDIT
Posted Mar 8, 2019
Nancy (2018) Deborah Krieger Riseborough, so appealing in Battle of the Sexes and amusingly histrionic in The Death of Stalin, is astonishing in the lead role. EDIT
Posted Feb 11, 2019
The Craft (1996) Jessica Guess We watched Rochelle take her own power and take her own revenge. It is one of the many reasons why The Craft was ahead of its time. EDIT
Posted Jan 30, 2019
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) Samantha Mann It's complex and hilarious, and not hilarious at the expense of the film's two female leads. EDIT
Posted Jan 24, 2019
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) Emma Davey It's a shame that such a didactic script and the attachment of Brian Singer taints what could have been a genuine and touching story. EDIT
Posted Jan 8, 2019
The New Romantic (2018) Deborah Krieger The New Romantic (the debut feature of writer-director Carly Stone) is too slight, both in terms of theme and general characterization, to match up to Barden's performance (which will probably not get the attention it deserves). EDIT
Posted Jan 3, 2019
5/5 On the Basis of Sex (2018) Lydia Wang A lush, emotional celebration of one of the greatest trailblazers of our time. EDIT
Posted Dec 19, 2018
Destroyer (2018) Jenni Miller Director Karyn Kusama's deft eye for grit and action gives Kidman a safe space to let loose in a way her previous roles have only hinted at. EDIT
Posted Dec 19, 2018
The American Meme (2018) Deborah Krieger Unpacks and reveals the ecosystem of social media celebrity with incredible thoughtfulness. EDIT
Posted Dec 13, 2018
Vox Lux (2018) Erika W. Smith Vox Lux is no Black Swan. EDIT
Posted Dec 7, 2018
Mary Queen of Scots (2018) Erika W. Smith But I wish the cast, costume director, and hair and makeup team had a better story to work with. EDIT
Posted Dec 7, 2018
Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin (2018) Alexandra Vlak Cipolle Worlds is a much-needed antidote for the world right now... EDIT
Posted Nov 26, 2018
Brand New Old Love (2018) Deborah Krieger While Brand New Old Love is ostensibly a romantic comedy about two friends who fulfill their high-school pledge to marry each other by age thirty, it's also an honest, unglamorous exploration of what it means to be an adult in the 2010s. EDIT
Posted Nov 15, 2018