Mad God (2021) Director: Phil Tippett Screenwriter: Phil Tippett Starring: Alex Cox, Niketa Roman, Satish Ratakonda Phil Tippett’s name may be more familiar to film fans for his extraordinary visual effects work than for directing. His long career includes contributions to major franchises and landmark genre films, which has made him a respected figure behind … Read more
Annette (2021) Director: Leos Carax Screenwriters: Ron Mael, Russell Mael, Leos Carax Starring: Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg Annette (2021) is an audacious musical from director Leos Carax, with a score and songs by the idiosyncratic pop duo Sparks (Ron and Russell Mael). The film blends Carax’s surreal, visually daring filmmaking with Sparks’ sharp, … Read more
Mandibles (2020) Director: Quentin Dupieux Screenwriter: Quentin Dupieux Starring: Grégoire Ludig, David Marsais, Adèle Exarchopoulos Quentin Dupieux has built a reputation for making films that lean into absurdity and dark whimsy. From Rubber, his unusual tale about a murderous tyre, to Deerskin, which examines obsession through the lens of a man and his jacket, Dupieux … Read more
Here Today (2021) Director: Billy Crystal Screenwriter: Billy Crystal, Alan Zweibel Starring: Billy Crystal, Tiffany Haddish Billy Crystal, the well-known actor and comedian who has built a long and varied career—from memorable dramatic turns to beloved comic performances—returned to directing with Here Today (2021). This film marks his second time behind the camera, following a … Read more
The Beta Test (2021) Directors: Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe Screenwriters: Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe Starring: Jim Cummings, Virginia Newcombe, PJ McCabe Jim Cummings returns as a force in independent film with The Beta Test, a sharp, often darkly comic thriller that skewers modern Hollywood and the predatory systems that thrive within it. Following his breakout … Read more
Censor (2021) Director: Prano Bailey-Bond Screenwriter: Prano Bailey-Bond, Anthony Fletcher Starring: Niamh Algar, Sophia La Porta, Michael Smiley The moral panic surrounding the so-called “video nasties” of the 1980s remains a rich and troubling chapter in British film history. Censor (2021) approaches that era not as a simple period piece or a nostalgic pastiche, but … Read more
Barton Fink (1991) Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen Screenwriters: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen Starring: John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis, Michael Lerner, John Mahoney, Tony Shalhoub, Jon Polito, Steve Buscemi, Richard Portnow, Christopher Murney Barton Fink, the Coen brothers’ fourth feature, is an unsettling and richly layered film that both rewards and resists close analysis. … Read more
Free Guy (2021) Director: Shawn Levy Screenwriters: Matt Lieberman, Zak Penn Main cast: Ryan Reynolds, Joe Keery, Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi Ryan Reynolds stars in the video game–inspired comedy Free Guy as Guy, an NPC (non-player character) living in the open-world game Free City. After repeating the same day over and over, he begins to … Read more
The Kissing Booth 3 (2021) Director: Vince Marcello Screenwriters: Vince Marcello, Jay S. Arnold Starring: Joey King, Joel Courtney, Jacob Elordi, Stephen Jennings, Molly Ringwald Vince Marcello’s final installment in The Kissing Booth trilogy has arrived on Netflix, closing out a franchise that began as a teenage Wattpad sensation and grew into a global streaming … Read more
This article was originally published on SSP Thinks Film by Sam Sewell-Peterson. Hell or High Water (2016) Director: David Mackenzie Screenwriter: Taylor Sheridan Starring: Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gil Birmingham, Marin Ireland, Katy Mixon, Dale Dickey, Margaret Bowman In 2016, Scottish director David Mackenzie (known for Young Adam and Starred Up) teamed with … Read more