The Film Stage

No streaming service does a director retrospective like the Criterion Channel, and March offers two masters at opposite ends of exposure. On one side is Michael Mann, whose work from Thief through Collateral (minus The Keep) is given a spotlight; on the other is Alain Guiraudie, who (in advance of Misericordia opening on March 21) […]

The post The Criterion Channel’s March Lineup Features Michael Mann, Alain Guiraudie, Dogme 95 & More first appeared on The Film Stage.

If there is a filmmaker whose work can be described as “elemental cinema,” that’s Lucile Hadžihalilović. It’s easy to chronicle her 2015 film Evolution as fluvial for its many water (and underwater) scenes, but also how its rhythmic flow steers the mysteries of a post-humanist plot. One might say that Innocence is earthy with a […]

The post Berlinale Review: The Ice Tower is Lucile Hadžihalilović’s Most Bewitching Film Yet first appeared on The Film Stage.

Sam Riley stars as Tom, a washed-up tennis-pro-turned-coach at a luxury island hotel on the Canary Islands, in Islands, the English-language debut of A Coffee in Berlin director Jan-Ole Gerster. He is the protagonist, but we know little about a man seems to avoid any sort of introspection; living night by night, Tom takes a […]

The post Berlinale Review: Sam Riley-Led Neo Noir Islands Plays It Too Safe first appeared on The Film Stage.

Premiering over a year ago on the opening night of Sundance Film Festival, Freaky Tales was a hopeful return to proper filmmaking after Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck got sucked into the Marvel machine. Unfortunately, despite a game cast of Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, Jay Ellis, Normani, Dominique Thorne, Jack Champion, Ji-young Yoo, Angus Cloud, […]

The post Freaky Tales Trailer: Pedro Pascal and Ben Mendelsohn Partake in ’80s Mayhem first appeared on The Film Stage.

With just two films to her name (in addition to co-producing the Golden Bear-winning Black Coal, Thin Ice), Vivian Qu has become one of China’s most prominent female filmmakers. Her long-awaited follow-up to the excellent Angels Wear White (which premiered in 2017’s Venice competition) once again shines a light on the plight of young women […]

The post Berlinale Review: Girls on Wire is a Polished Yet Disappointing Return for Vivian Qu first appeared on The Film Stage.

Few things loosen the grip of winter like a sun-kissed film. Add listless days and young love to the narrative and you might even forget the icy chill outside. Snow was gently falling around the Zoo Palast before yesterday’s early afternoon screening of The Botanist, the debut feature of writer director Jing Yi and as […]

The post Berlinale Review: The Botanist Offers Sun-Soaked Landscapes, Coming-of-Age Curiosities first appeared on The Film Stage.

Two decades ago, stop-motion animator Adam Elliot burst onto the scene with his wonderful short Harvie Krumpet. Following a man cursed with lifelong bad luck, it earned him an Oscar and introduced the world at large to Elliot’s wicked sense of humor, massive heart, and singular animation style. A little ugly, a little beautiful, wholly […]

The post Memoir of a Snail Director Adam Elliot on Making His Audience an Emotional Wreck and Why He Won’t Win the Oscar first appeared on The Film Stage.

French director Léonor Serraille’s third feature Ari is the portrait of an über-sensitive young man who ponders his place in the world while looking up people from his past to hold conversations that were never had. If this sounds like the premise for a parody of talky French dramas, for a while it really does […]

The post Berlinale Review: Ari Unlocks the Beautiful Mystery of an Ordinary Life first appeared on The Film Stage.

After his long-awaited return with Crimes of the Future, David Cronenberg returned last year to the festival circuit with The Shrouds, a darkly funny conspiracy thriller led by Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, and newly minted Oscar nominee Guy Pearce. Picked up by Sideshow and Janus Films, they’ve now announced the Cannes, TIFF, and NYFF selection will […]

The post David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds Sets Spring Release as New Teaser Arrives first appeared on The Film Stage.

Many films, from the classic melodrama Mildred Pierce to last year’s playful dramedy Nightbitch, have tried to depict the unique struggles of motherhood with a focus on the special intimacy of child-rearing. Mothers have long borne the brunt and most of the blame for how their children behave in the world. Fatherhood is considered more […]

The post Sundance Review: If I Had Legs I’d Kick You Sets Rose Byrne in a Tense Nightmare first appeared on The Film Stage.