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The Princess (20th Century Studios)
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The Princess doles out pure popcorn punches

Joey King stars as fantasy-adventure royalty so fun in combat she rises above the hyper-simplicities of her fight.

fire of love
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The beauty of the Fire of Love

Sara Dosa’s documentary about two volcanologists in love will have you falling in love with her film. NOW STREAMING: Powered by JustWatch v Katia Conrad..

Black Bird Featured
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Black Bird flies over predictable ground, occasionally soars

AppleTV+’s newest drama puts strong acting and writing towards another story of young women victims and the people who fight for them.

Star Trek Strange New Worlds Episode 9, All Those Who Wander (Paramount+)
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Strange New Worlds marries healing catharsis and abject terror

Another Gorn attack comes with both claustrophobic horror and a stirring sacrifice.

Only Murders in the Building Season 2 (Hulu)
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Only Murders in the Building finds fresh blood in Season 2

Hulu’s hit mystery series expands its scope in its second season and hits a darker pattern to its true-crime pastiche.

Strawberry Mansion
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Strawberry Mansion is a gorgeous, surreal, thoughtful dreamscape

With Strawberry Mansion, directors Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney take a dreamy journey into the fantastic—one that now boasts wonderful blu-ray presentation.

MOVIES

The Princess (20th Century Studios)T
Main Category
Nguyên Lê

The Princess doles out pure popcorn punches

Joey King stars as fantasy-adventure royalty so fun in combat she rises above the hyper-simplicities of her fight.
fire of loveT
Main Category
Sarah Gorr

The beauty of the Fire of Love

Sara Dosa’s documentary about two volcanologists in love will have you falling in love with her film. NOW STREAMING: Powered by JustWatch v Katia Conrad..
Strawberry MansionS
Main Category
B.L. Panther

Strawberry Mansion is a gorgeous, surreal, thoughtful dreamscape

With Strawberry Mansion, directors Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney take a dreamy journey into the fantastic—one that now boasts wonderful blu-ray presentation.
Official Competition (IFC Films)T
Main Category
Peter Sobczynski

Tribeca 2022: Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz riff on their star personas in Official Competition

Mariano Cohn and Gaston Duprat’s charming takedown of the movie industry features giddy turns from two of the world’s greatest stars. (This review is part..
Rudy! A Documusical (Tribeca Film Festival)T
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Peter Sobczynski

Tribeca 2022: Rudy! A Documusical can’t find a key for its odious subject

Jed Rothstein's mostly-conventional musical doc tries to lampoon the disgraced Trump lackey, but can't do either particularly well.
Lynch/Oz (Tribeca Film Festival)T
Main Category
Peter Sobczynski

Tribeca 2022: Lynch/Oz takes the Yellow Brick Road to the Black Lodge

Alexandre O. Phillippe's latest essay film shows the links between the Hollywood classic and Hollywood's greatest weirdo.

FILMMAKER OF THE MONTH

ArmageddonA
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Armageddon sees Michael Bay at his most Michael Bay, just before big changes

Bay's style reaches an apex in his humanity v. asteroid flick, which changed his reception forever.
The RockT
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The Rock remains a quality cornerstone of Michael Bay’s career

For one film, Michael Bay managed to wrangle all his fixations into popcorn nirvana. 
Top of the LakeT
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Top of the Lake sees Campion go deep but narrow

Jane Campion's first television work in decades boasts masterful character work and a frustratingly blinkered perspective.

RIGHT ON CUE

Ariel Marx, CandyA
Main Category
June 19, 2022

Ariel Marx on disrupting the oppressive sameness of Candy

The multi-instrumentalist and composer searches for the musical fractures in the suburban idyll of Hulu's miniseries.
LISTEN
Filmmaker of the Month: Michael Bay

FEATURES

Out of Sight (Kino Lorber)K
June 26, 2022
B.L. Panther

KinoKultur: Out of Sight, The UFO Incident, Savage Sisters, Stunt Rock

From Soderbergh's steamy thriller to Australian stunt mockumentaries, Kino Lorber's recent offerings help you beat the heat.
DementiaK
May 28, 2022
B.L. Panther

KinoKultur: Jigsaw & Dementia offer two different takes on British noir

The newly restored Jigsaw & Dementia are equally stylish, but the superior Dementia places its victim at the forefront
Fire Island Interview Joel Kim Booster Andrew AhnJ
May 22, 2022
Marshall Estes

Joel Kim Booster and Andrew Ahn on the ins and outs of Fire Island

We sit down with the director and writer/star of the Asian-centered gay romcom to talk Austen, toxic gays, and more.
Olive Trees of Justice / Concerning Violence / Black Jack (Kino Lorber)K
May 13, 2022
B.L. Panther

KinoKultur: The Olive Trees of Justice, Concerning Violence, Black Jack

The affect of revolution on childhood is reflected in three of Kino Lorber's recent restorations.
Alex Cox Interview AlexA
April 28, 2022
Peter Sobczynski

Alex Cox reflects on Walker’s making and legacy

The director talks the film's rediscovery and release in the Criterion Collection.

TV

Black Bird FeaturedB
Main Category
Tim Stevens

Black Bird flies over predictable ground, occasionally soars

AppleTV+'s newest drama puts strong acting and writing towards another story of young women victims and the people who fight for them.
Star Trek Strange New Worlds Episode 9, All Those Who Wander (Paramount+)S
Main Category
Clint Worthington

Strange New Worlds marries healing catharsis and abject terror

Another Gorn attack comes with both claustrophobic horror and a stirring sacrifice.
Only Murders in the Building Season 2 (Hulu)O
Main Category
Clint Worthington

Only Murders in the Building finds fresh blood in Season 2

Hulu's hit mystery series expands its scope in its second season and hits a darker pattern to its true-crime pastiche.
Star Trek: Strange New WorldsS
Main Category
Andrew Bloom

Strange New Worlds Clips the Wings of its Futuristic Fairy Tale

Strange New Worlds' latest episode squanders the chance an energy being with the flair for the fantastical provides to cut loose. 
Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 6 
Main Category
Megan Sunday

 Obi-Wan Kenobi bids us farewell in an emotional “Part 6”

It’s time for the duel of the fates as Obi-Wan faces Darth Vader while Reva hunts Luke in the series finale. 
Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 5 (Disney+)“
Main Category
Megan Sunday

“Part 5” takes us down memory lane in an emotional Obi-Wan Kenobi

Old faces and new conflicts swirl to the surface in the penultimate episode.
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FILMMAKER OF THE MONTH

In the CutI
April 1, 2022
Douglas Laman

In the Cut sees Jane Campion turn her eye to the 21st century

The great director delves into New York's anxious days post-9/11 via a thriller about a woman usure who she can trust.
Bright StarB
March 27, 2022
Eric Langberg

Bright Star: The immaturity and immensity of looking 

Jane Campion's chronicle of Fannie Brawne and Romantic poet John Keats' courtship is a masterful study of longing and star power.
Holy SmokeH
March 26, 2022
B.L. Panther

Holy Smoke! burns poisoned masculinity but chokes on Orientalist smog

Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel deliver powerhouse performances in Jane Campion's cult-deprogramming dramedy, but the script fails in its thoughtless colonialism.
The Portrait of a LadyT
March 21, 2022
Beau North

The Portrait of a Lady sees Jane Campion paint agency, control, and desire

Campion followed The Piano with a Henry James adaptation dedicated to the magnificently fraught question of desire or duty.
The PianoI
March 21, 2022
Jon Paul Roberts

In The Piano, Jane Campion and Holly Hunter navigate silence

Campion's multi-Oscar winner studies the thorns of speaking, silence, and desire through impeccable performances.
SweetieW
March 10, 2022
Doug Wykstra

With Sweetie, Jane Campion explores the rot inside a family tree

Master filmmaker Jane Campion's first theatrical picture ably demonstrates both her formal mastery and her precise character work.