The self-described “dark fairy tale,” Squeal (also known as Samuel’s Travels) is a truly international affair: the film comes from Latvia, has an Armenian writer/director, the lead actor is from Belgium, and the narrator sounds…
Foreign Film
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The absurdly long-overdue second installment of Films from the Peninsula has finally arrived! In keeping with this column’s aim of recommending classics in Korean film history (the first of which was Lee Chang-dong’s Secret Sunshine), I’ve chosen…
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Driving can be a profound experience. It is difficult to articulate the feeling of what it’s like to ponder a great many things while you drive in solitude, or that quiet mutual moment of bonding…
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DramaReviews
Melbourne International Film Festival 2021 Review: ‘Genus Pan’
by James Y. Leeby James Y. LeeTo say that a two-and-a-half-hour-long film is on the shorter side of a director’s filmography may sound like a deeply confused claim, but for Filipino auteur Lav Diaz — whose works are less like films…
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DramaReviews
Melbourne International Film Festival 2021 Review: ‘Days’
by James Y. Leeby James Y. LeeFew snippets of on-screen text in modern foreign cinema have been as intriguing as the opening blurb of Tsai Ming-liang’s latest film, Days — “This film is intentionally unsubtitled.” — not just because it points to a…
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If you, reader, are anything like me, you are hip to any and all entries into the sapphic film canon. From Desert Hearts to Booksmart, every time there are two ladies kissing, my corner of Twitter…
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A sad fact of this life is the inevitability of hurting someone we care about. There is no real way around it, and with that hurt comes the concept of reconciliation. We’ve all hurt someone,…
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DramaReviews
San Diego Asian Film Festival 2020 Review: ‘The Woman Who Ran’
by Liam Trumpby Liam TrumpDialogue is one of the most prominent aspects when it comes to filmmaking. Lines such as “I’ll be back,” and “I am your father” have become nearly as notable as the movies they’re featured in…
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CONTENT WARNING: Okay, so, before you even start reading this review. I was bamboozled into watching the most sexually graphic film I’ve ever seen. If that makes you uncomfortable, I advise you to go read…
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Streaming DramaStreaming Reviews
‘An Easy Girl’: A French Connection
by Anna Campionby Anna CampionI have truly not been able to stop thinking about An Easy Girl, the latest from French filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski. The last time I kept thinking about a movie this much after watching it was…
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Lara, Jane-Ole Gerster’s sophomore feature, follows Lara Jenkins, a divorced mother on her 60th birthday. Not only is this her birthday, but it is also her son’s first solo concert as a pianist and composer.…
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Few films capture the theatrical experience as lovingly as Cinema Paradiso. The 1988 Italian film won the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award and serves as one of the most beautiful love letters to cinema…
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Some stories start at the end. My time at the 59th Krakow Film Festival is one of those stories. This is the place where I saw a mass of films ranging from feature-length documentaries to animated shorts.…
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Streaming ComedyStreaming Reviews
Film Review – Despite Everything (2019)
by Brian Connorby Brian ConnorIt’s always worth noting what a new Netflix film means in the larger scope of the company. With the service essentially at saturation levels here in the U.S., the only way to expand is through…
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Streaming HorrorStreaming Reviews
Film Review – Suzzanna: Buried Alive (2019) [Video]
by Nick Kushby Nick KushIt’s no secret that Netflix wants to dominate the streaming market on a global scale. Especially with Disney+ and Apple TV+ on the horizon, they’re in a bit of a scramble to capture as much…
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Streaming ReviewsStreaming Science Fiction
Film Review – Mirage (2019) [Video]
by Nick Kushby Nick KushAlthough Netflix will push the Bird Boxes and the Kissing Booths of the world until this Earth of ours hurdles into the sun, I admire their ability to find interesting foreign films and plop them…
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This is Part 2 of MovieBabble’s French Film Festival coverage. If you missed Part 1, click here to read. The 30th annual Alliance Française French Film Festival is now in full swing. Here are a…
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The Tree of Blood is a tortuous road filled with sex, lies, secrets, violence, and bulls — lots of them. For anyone craving a two-hour soap opera, this Spanish drama just might hit the spot.…
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With the rise in streaming companies and boutique distributors, we’re in the middle of a little boom for independent film. It’s pretty satisfying to see such an influx of smaller projects. The shear amount of…
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It’s the time of year in which the classic debate rages amongst film buffs: what is Die Hard: an action film or a Christmas film, or both? Well I for one am sick of hearing it.…
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It might be sixty years old, but The Hidden Fortress is fun, comedy, and adventure rolled up in an epic package. It is just as good today as when it was first made. A Japanese…
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News
A Brief Look at the Oscars’ Best Foreign Language Feature Shortlist
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesTwo weeks ago, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled the shortlists for nine categories of the Academy Awards. This included Visual Effects, Make-Up and Hairstyling, Original Song and Score, the Shorts and…
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After seeing Crazy Rich Asians I checked out the review of the movie on our site. Following the well-thought-out piece, I scrolled through the comments where I noticed one commenter bringing up an important topic up. They said, “My…
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Famous Shark Tank mogul Kevin O’Leary once noted that unions are about “the collective leverage, the power of numbers versus the power of capital.” Though quotes are often used to oversimplify stories, ideas, and concepts,…
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Although many look to cinema for pure escapism, it has the power to create profound statements that shed light on troubling circumstances. For Rosie, the focus is on the homeless epidemic in Ireland. And by remaining…
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Dead Pigs will be playing at the Denver Film Festival from October 31st to November 11th. Head over to the DFF’s website to purchase your tickets! One of the films shown at the Denver Film Festival is…
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Most Americans expect a straightforward narrative when they watch a movie. Anything that gets a little abstract is sometimes viewed as pretentious or high-minded. Often people look at surreal films as accessible only to an…
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Eternal Winter will be playing at the Denver Film Festival from October 31st to November 11th. Head over to the DFF’s website to purchase your tickets! One of the films being shown at the Denver…
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Usually films filled with dogs skew towards becoming overly sentimental and saccharine, shoving dogs in the face of the viewer simply for a cheap emotional response. Dogman, the latest film from Matteo Garrone, goes in the…
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Spain is an often under-appreciated source of cinematic genius. Odds are that you know Pan’s Labyrinth, but there’s so many other amazing offers for you from the largest piece of the Iberian Peninsula. Thankfully, director Richard Keaney…