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8.5/10
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Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!
(2026)
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Alex Billington
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Amid so many other films about anguish & death & overcoming loss, Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! is finally something unique and new and fresh within the overloaded grief subgenre.
Posted Jan 28, 2026
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8/10
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The Invite
(2026)
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Alex Billington
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It's smart and funny and honest – an entertaining and worthwhile film.
Posted Jan 28, 2026
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10/10
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Josephine
(2026)
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Alex Billington
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It's towering, extraordinary filmmaking that leaves you so moved, so impressed that you can't even get up from your seat when the credits start rolling.
Posted Jan 28, 2026
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8/10
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Hot Water
(2026)
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Alex Billington
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It's not about coming together as it is the journey with each other.
Posted Jan 28, 2026
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9/10
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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Avatar: Fire and Ash is more emotionally intense, more exciting, more spectacular than The Way of Water. But it doesn't extended all the way out to where it should and it does stumble a few times in getting us to the final battle.
Posted Dec 19, 2025
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8/10
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Arco
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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A fascinating sci-fi fantasy fable about manifesting change and creating a better future through friendship and positivity. It's so beautiful, impressively detailed, and entirely original in an imaginative way...
Posted Nov 14, 2025
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8.8/10
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Predator: Badlands
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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This is exactly why it's refreshing, and honestly quite exciting, to see Trachtenberg try something completely new and take this series in a whole new direction.
Posted Nov 07, 2025
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9/10
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I'm Not Everything I Want to Be
(2024)
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Alex Billington
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I'm Not Everything I Want To Be is an awe-inspiring photographic version of the classic story of how it takes an entire lifetime for an artist to finally be properly recognized.
Posted Nov 04, 2025
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8/10
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Starman
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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I would've happily listened to Gentry Lee go even deeper into theories, ideas, differently possibilities, stories about Sagan or NASA...
Posted Oct 20, 2025
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8/10
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Primate
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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It's really just a fun horror movie concept that succeeds as 89 minute escapism / totally F'ed up genre entertainment.
Posted Oct 20, 2025
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9.8/10
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The Furious
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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While there are plenty of other great action movies this year, none of them have the fight scenes that this movie does, none of them are this level of full-on, go-totally-wild awesome.
Posted Oct 20, 2025
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9.5/10
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One Battle After Another
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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This sprawling, pristine, energetic, visceral modern movie deserves much more careful analysis & deeper intellectual appreciation. Not only entertaining, it's the movie of the moment...
Posted Sep 26, 2025
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7/10
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The Son and the Sea
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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It's a flawed yet fascinating film, a solid feature debut from Cairns. She's got the right eye and does her best to capture this story through her lens.
Posted Sep 22, 2025
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9/10
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The Long Walk
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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They are remarkable together in this. I was wiping away tears by the end. I won't stop thinking about them for a long time...
Posted Sep 12, 2025
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7.5/10
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Sacrifice
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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It's bold, wild, and brash yet still highly entertaining and all-out ambitious in its concept.
Posted Sep 12, 2025
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7.5/10
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Kim Novak's Vertigo
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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This doc may only be enjoyed by die-hard film geeks and Kim Novak fans, but there's still something endearing about watching her open up & speak freely about being a movie star.
Posted Sep 09, 2025
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6.5/10
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Dead Man's Wire
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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Van Sant doesn't try to be preachy and doesn't need to be. Even if the film is a bit rough around the edges, it's a clever story...
Posted Sep 09, 2025
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8.5/10
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Bugonia
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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It's a remarkably fun and fresh new version of this story, with an improved finale and better performances from the cast as they all get lost in the madness of the situation.
Posted Sep 09, 2025
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9.5/10
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The Tale of Silyan
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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This is one film I won't be able to stop raving about. It's a cinematic experience that will leave anyone who watches it changed for the better & completely rejuvenated.
Posted Sep 09, 2025
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9/10
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Human Resource
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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It's extremely dark, yet exceptionally sharp, in its perfectly depicted sly criticism of the what-are-we-even-doing-anymore hell we all live in nowadays.
Posted Sep 07, 2025
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9.9/10
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Silent Friend
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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It's an ambitious cinematic exploration of the idea that plants & trees are sentient, using emotional stories to make it plausible. I'm a believer. After this film, you'll never look at plants & trees the same way again.
Posted Sep 06, 2025
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9.5/10
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A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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This is one of the most intensely thrilling movies of the year.
Posted Sep 02, 2025
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9.5/10
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The Testament of Ann Lee
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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Unquestionably one of the best films of the year - it's extraordinary in every single way...
Posted Sep 01, 2025
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9/10
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Frankenstein
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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Part creature feature, part emotional exploration of what makes us human, part horror, part love story, it's a mash-up of all of del Toro's favorite things in one spectacular cinematic creation.
Posted Aug 31, 2025
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9.5/10
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After the Hunt
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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The film features an exceptionally dense, philosophically / intellectually complex script that directly address sexual assault denialism. It's also meticulously crafted, entrancing and harrowing to watch.
Posted Aug 30, 2025
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9.5/10
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John and the Hole
(2020)
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Alex Billington
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Masterfully slick, unsettling filmmaking builds this film into something more profound than it seems at first glance. It's one of these films that is going to be endlessly divisive just because it's so ambiguous and creepy.
Posted Aug 23, 2025
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8/10
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Sketch
(2024)
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Alex Billington
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Bring your whole family, but most importantly, take the kids to go see Sketch and let them be inspired and moved and intrigued by it. Not only is it tons of fun – it's the kind of movie that might actually make a real difference in someone's life.
Posted Aug 10, 2025
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7/10
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Kika
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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Ultimately, the film's story is unique and compelling, but also too grandiose and convoluted. This is where the filmmaking makes up for it.
Posted Jul 20, 2025
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8.5/10
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The Blue Trail
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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Similar to the other recent beloved minimalistic story about an older person, Perfect Days, the film is an enchanting tale of rediscovering the magic and joy of the simple things in life no matter how old you are.
Posted Jul 20, 2025
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9/10
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28 Years Later
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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This is the best of the 28 movies. Yes it's even better than 28 Days Later, and a much better sequel than 28 Weeks Later. What I was not ready for is how Boyle once again reinvents the zombie genre by trying out new ideas.
Posted Jun 18, 2025
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7.5/10
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Homebound
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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A cinematic tale about how anyone can succeed, anyone should be allowed to have dreams, and most importantly, everyone deserves a better life.
Posted Jun 02, 2025
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8/10
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Peak Everything
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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It's a remarkably calm, somewhat quiet, charming little indie film from Quebec - about a lonely middle-aged guy who runs a dog shelter who meets a woman on a phone line.
Posted Jun 02, 2025
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8.5/10
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The Wave
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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It's an empowering movie about women standing up, fighting back, and never giving up until there is change. A magnificent creation! This shook me up & left me in awe.
Posted May 26, 2025
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8/10
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The Plague
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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Even after watching many other films over the course of the festival, this one still stands out, it still lingers in my mind and the score still haunts me.
Posted May 25, 2025
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9/10
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The Love That Remains
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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This instantly joins the ranks with Marriage Story as one of THE best break-up films EVER made. For real. Every single shot is brilliant. The score, the lightness of it all, the humor, the honesty, the kids, the dog, everything about it is pure bliss.
Posted May 25, 2025
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9.8/10
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Sentimental Value
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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This is what all cinema should aspire to be. This is what film can be when made by a real master filmmaker who only gets better as he keeps making more.
Posted May 25, 2025
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9/10
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Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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A mesmerizing, vibrant, magical story of a 3 year old girl exploring the world for the first time while living in Japan.
Posted May 25, 2025
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8.5/10
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Eleanor the Great
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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Eleanor the Great is really something special. This can't be denied. Everyone involved should be proud of it. A tremendously moving, sensitive, tender film that shows us how kindness and goodness always matter – at any age.
Posted May 25, 2025
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2/10
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Highest 2 Lowest
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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At best it's a Saturday Night TV movie – not meant for the big screen in any way. At worst the studio should scrap it to save face with Kurosawa and save themselves from tarnishing his legacy.
Posted May 25, 2025
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7.5/10
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Nouvelle Vague
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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Linklater's Nouvelle Vague feels like an homage to Godard but also a reminder that you should not be worried about following rules and doing what is expected if you want to be a truly innovative filmmaker.
Posted May 25, 2025
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8/10
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Miroirs No. 3
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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We don't always need overly complex, dense plots for cinema to actually provide real comfort and solace to viewers. I'm glad Petzold figured out how to share this balm of a story with us in this tender & moving way.
Posted May 25, 2025
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8/10
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Urchin
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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Not only is the direction confident and the vision for this story clear, it's a damn good film featuring some clever creative choices. Delighted to report it's one of the year's best debuts.
Posted May 25, 2025
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9/10
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Love Letters
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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As a lover of cinema, I'm so grateful this art form can tell stories that stir the soul, and show us how beautiful the world really is when we respect and admire and appreciate other relationships.
Posted May 25, 2025
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9/10
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Sirāt
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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Óliver Laxe's Sirat is a techno-filled desert odyssey that will leave everyone breathless. A must watch for all cinephiles. I love a good "WTF is going to happen next?!" first-time experience.
Posted May 25, 2025
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7/10
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Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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What works is he takes this finale to new heights, literally, then brings it back down with a safe landing. His performance here is stronger than ever, he knows this one really has to hit hard...
Posted May 25, 2025
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B+
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Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
(2025)
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Manuel São Bento
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Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning may not be the all-out epic conclusion fans hoped for, or the best movie in the franchise, but it is, without a doubt, a worthy and emotionally satisfying sendoff.
Posted May 23, 2025
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A-
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Sinners
(2025)
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Manuel São Bento
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With Coogler's creatively daring direction, an unforgettable score, a strong ensemble cast, and a thematically rich exploration of racial oppression, cultural identity, and spirituality, this is undoubtedly one of the most impactful films of the year.
Posted Apr 18, 2025
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6/10
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The Amateur
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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It's stuck right in the annoying middle between not being a total disaster or just plain awful, but also not being good enough to recommend...
Posted Apr 11, 2025
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7.5/10
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How Deep is Your Love
(2025)
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Alex Billington
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How Deep is Your Love is yet another urgent, meaningful, entirely captivating modern documentary film about environmental issues that most people need to be informed of right now.
Posted Mar 30, 2025
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8/10
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Dreams
(2024)
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Alex Billington
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Watching this beautifully honest and wholesome film feels like being wrapped up in a warm scarf, tenderly twirled around you by your grandma who smiles with the loveliest look as she tugs at it to make sure you're all snug and cozy...
Posted Mar 03, 2025
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