Letters of Rec

Under The Skin Still Has The Power To Unsettle And Provoke

Revisit Jonathan Glazer's disturbing contemporary sci-fi classic about a mysterious alien on the hunt.

Midnight Run: Looking Back At Remember The Titans

Remember the Titans succeeds partially because it frames sports and entertainment as cultural battlegrounds for larger political forces.

The Rapture Wrestles With Crises Of Art And Faith

Michael Tolkin's directorial debut explores (dis)belief within the end of the world.

Time And Artistic Priorities Keep On Slippin’: No Way Out’s Radical Evolution From The Big Clock

Two films adapted from the same source material released nearly 40 years apart illustrate Hollywood's evolution from its Golden Age.

Not Much Is Really Sacred: On Todd Haynes' I'm Not There

Haynes' experimental biopic takes cues from Citizen Kane to illustrate the unknowability of the 20th century's most mythic rock star.

The Sweeter Side of Submission: Expressions of Love in Secretary

Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader's unconventional romance chronicles a coming-of-age tale by way of a BDSM fantasy.

Behold The Low-Key Excellence of James Gray's Two Lovers

Joaquin Phoenix's performance as a vulnerable, off-beat loner caught between two women sustains the film's melodrama.

Take A Walk Down Scarlet Street, The Sleaziest Noir On The Block

Fritz Lang's nasty thriller will plunge you into a morass of disreputability, deception, and greed.

Pieces of Flare: On David Fincher's The Killer

With his latest thriller, Fincher further develops his practice of digitally molding the real world in his own image.

Toronto International Film Festival 2023: Dumb Money, Pigeon Tunnel

In Downtime's final TIFF dispatch, our humble correspondent reviews films about the GameStop short squeeze and John le Carré.

Toronto International Film Festival 2023: Anatomy of a Fall, His Three Daughters

In Downtime's second TIFF dispatch, our humble correspondent reviews a Palme d'Or-winning legal thriller and a tearjerking family drama.

Toronto International Film Festival 2023: The Holdovers, Hit Man

In Downtime's first TIFF dispatch, our humble correspondent reviews new crowd-pleasers from Alexander Payne and Richard Linklater.

With Sorcerer, the late William Friedkin took New Hollywood on one last bumpy, terrifying ride

Steamrolled by Star Wars, the director's grim follow-up to The Exorcist remains an intense highlight of '70s American moviemaking.

Joanna Hogg's First Film Follows an Isolated Woman Caught Between Generations

Her fascination with the relationship between interior spaces and existential plight finds purchase in this vacation drama.

A Woman Is In Trouble In Max Ophüls' Modest Noir Masterpiece

The Reckless Moment stars Joan Bennett as a lonely heroine whose suburban American dream curdles into a nightmare.

The Essential Movie About 21st Century Rage Is An Ambiguous South Korean Thriller

Lee Chang-dong's Burning captures the conspiracy-laden paranoia and free-floating resentments that defined the last decade.

Learn About Yourself By Watching Reality TV With A Therapist

With his YouTube channel, Dr. Kirk Honda provides psychological commentary on Love Is Blind participants that emphasizes self-reflection.

Eros in Retrograde: 20 Years Later, In the Cut Still Has It

The cult erotic thriller not only provokes and unsettles, but also follows a genre truism: everyone is horny and no one can be trusted.

All Grown Up: The Arrested Development of Drop Dead Fred

The 1989 cult favorite works as a shorter, and possibly stranger, alternative to A24's splashy "Beau Is Afraid"

You Don't Have To Win: Robert Aldrich and ...All The Marbles

The great midcentury director's final film follows a female wrestling duo trying to eke out a victory on the road.

Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle Is the Best (If Not the Only) Stoner Movie About Asian America Ever Made

In an age obsessed with representation, this unassuming mid-aughts comedy dared to portray Asian Americans as "people who exist."

Home Movie: 35 Shots of Rum Remains One of Claire Denis’ Most Personal Works

The story of a codependent father-and-daughter relationship pays tribute to the work of Yasujirō Ozu’ and Denis' own mother.

The Brother From Another Planet Reimagined What It Meant To Be Lost In America

In a decade defined by social and political alienation, John Sayles' lo-fi sci-fi adventure embraced spontaneous spiritual connections.

To Be Known: Revisiting the Quiet Romance of The Bridges of Madison County

Clint Eastwood's 1995 romantic drama energizes the domestic space with the liberating possibility of life's freedoms.

Seconds Is One Of The Darkest, Most Prescient Movies Of The '60s

John Frankenheimer's head-trip points to a future filled with grifters falsely promising a better life.

Strange Days Warned That The End Is Near

Kathryn Bigelow's 1995 cyberpunk thriller perfectly captures its moment while looking towards a more fraught future.

Luz Takes Possession To A Whole Other Level

This German supernatural horror film employs an outré sound design to convey the experience of hypnosis.

When 3 Become 1: Shapeshifting in Robert Altman's Low-Desert Dreamscape 3 Women

Altman's classic '70s psychological drama tackles gender as a Gothic team sport.

The Savages Admirably Avoids Clichés Around Death And Dying

At first glance, Tamara Jenkins' sophomore feature resembles a typical "Sundance film," but it's much thornier than typical indie fare.

The Future Is Now: On The Hudsucker Proxy

The Coen Brothers' 1994 screwball comedy uses its heightened reality to tackle corporate greed and consumerist folly.

Ragged Generosity: Exploring The Films of Boris Barnet

The work of an unsung, but essential Soviet director is ripe for discovery via a YouTube channel.

The Kingdom: Exodus is Twin Peaks: The Return with seasonal affective disorder

After a 25-year-long hiatus, Lars von Trier returns to the haunted hospital of his landmark supernatural miniseries.

Elaine May's Lacerating Class Comedy A New Leaf Has Barely Aged A Bit

May's sharp satire of the wealthy refuses to pull any punches while also chronicling a sincere personal transformation.

The Classic Ramen Western Tampopo Will Make You Rethink How You Eat

Juzo Itami's freewheeling, genre-bending comedy turns cuisine into a meditation on craft and culture.

The Kids Are Alright: 40 Years Of Fast Times At Ridgemont High

Amy Heckerling's indelible debut feature captures early-80s adolescence in all of its complex glory, minus the judgement or sanctimony.

Tin Men Is Barry Levinson's Best Baltimore Movie — And A Cogent Critique Of Male Arrogance

The second in Levinson's Baltimore tetralogy follows two aluminum siding salesmen whose rigid worldviews finally fall under a spotlight.

Toronto International Film Festival 2022: The Banshees of Inisherin, Godland

In his final dispatch, our humble correspondent reviews an Irish comedy of discontent and an Icelandic religious drama.

Toronto International Film Festival 2022: How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Viking

Our humble correspondent reviews an urgent environmental thriller and a Canadian existential space comedy.

Toronto International Film Festival 2022: The Fabelmans, Glass Onion

Our humble correspondent reviews Steven Spielberg's coming-of-age memoir and the new Knives Out sequel.

Toronto International Film Festival 2022: Triangle of Sadness, Moonage Daydream

In Downtime's first TIFF dispatch, our humble correspondent reviews a farcical satire of the super-rich and a collage-style David Bowie doc.

Years Before The Rise of Fake News, Shattered Glass Threw The Spotlight On A Serial Fabulist

The rise and fall of Stephen Glass serves as a cautionary tale about the hesitancy of the media class to investigate their own.

If You Want To Feel French For Three Hours, Watch My Sex Life... Or How I Got Into An Argument

The essential post-New Wave comedy-drama follows an ensemble of restless Parisian academics falling in and out of careers and love.

Give Yourself Away Like The Sea: Revisiting the Sexy, Downbeat Pleasures of Y Tu Mamá También

Alfonso Cuarón's risqué road movie emphasizes sexual exploration as well as life's ephemeral nature

Dead Pixels: Why the Forgotten Cyberhorror FearDotCom is Actually Worth Your Time

Its trashy, fetishistic imagery and borderline dream logic are features, not bugs.

Reliquary of the Slacker: On Joel Potrykus’ Relaxer

Potrykus specializes in offbeat, regionally-focused portraits of post-Linklater slackers on the edges of 21st century society.

All Hands On Deck Celebrates The Pleasures (And Pitfalls) Of Summer Risk-Taking

This charming Rohmerian comedy follows three buddies looking for love in the south of France

The Wind Has All The Hallmarks Of Trashy Summer Fun (Minus The Outdoors)

Stay inside and avoid the heat with this zesty, shaggy psychological thriller.

The Five Obstructions Allows Lars Von Trier's Mentor to Remake His Best-Known Film Five Different Ways

Von Trier's mentor Jørgen Leth must adhere to a different "obstruction" each time he remakes the film

Whitey on the Moon: On Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10 1/2

The Boyhood director resurrects the past once again, but this time with a keen eye to present sensibilities.

Tilda Swinton Gives Her Greatest Performance in Julia, a Child-Abduction Melodrama

A year after winning the Oscar, Swinton stuns in her performance as a crazed alcoholic kidnapper

Bill Murray and Robert De Niro Play Against Type (Long Before It Was Expected) in Mad Dog and Glory

While the crime dramedy's premise may be commercial, its execution is anything but.

Travel Back In Time By Watching Old Sports on YouTube

The eternal pleasure of revisiting a moment in franchise, cultural, or personal history from the comfort of your own couch

Prince Solidifies His Legacy as a Live Act and Filmmaker with the Heck-a-Slammin' Sign O' The Times

An under-appreciated concert film deserves to join the canon.

Alien: Covenant Finds The Sweet Spot Between Brains And Thrills

By combining body horror and existentialism, Ridley Scott's Alien prequel shows more imagination than most contemporary studio films.

Go Back to the Good Ol' Naughty Days With Sliver

A sub-Basic Instinct erotic thriller tips the scales in favor of sex over thrills

Murder, Malaise and Marijuana: The Long Goodbye Was the Original Stoner Noir‍

For fans of The Big Lebowski and all things hazy and mysterious.

Sprocket Films Offers a Campy Look Into Mid-Century Social Panic

These hilarious short films are perfect to throw on in the background

Big Love for Tiny Horse

How a tiny horse walked into a family's life at the perfect time.

The Subtle Subversion of "Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse"

Taskmaster is Anti-Productivity Porn at its Finest

A love letter to the least aspirational game show ever made

It is Time to Play Dark Souls

Now is the perfect time to pick up the unrelenting but deeply rewarding fantasy game

12 Satisfying Short Films for Your Burnt-Out Quarantine Brain

A rewarding film for every genre, all under 40 minutes

'Astronomical' Was the Best Music Event of Quarantine So Far

Travis Scott's in-game Fortnite show might not have reinvented concerts, but it was still tight.

How 'Return of the Obra Dinn' Created a Modern Classic

Ignore the grayscale. The Return of the Obra Dinn is one of the most visually rich games out now.

A Streaming Recommendation: Bring Me Below Deck

How "Below Deck" became my go-to show for the quarantine

The Ambient Beauty of Outer Wilds

Annapurna's critic-beloved space game is even deeper than it looks

Log Off and Die: The Unfriended Movies are the Perfect Quarantine Horror Double Feature

Forgive the gimmick and enjoy these well-made films

"Search Party" Is the Millennial-Focused Show You Need RIght Now

The winding series—which is now on HBO Max—is one of the era's most subtle and rewarding shows

Yeah Baby! Behold the Powerssaince

Austin Powers is surprisingly timeless. Hear me out.

I Love You, Roger Sterling

Many critics consider 'Mad Men' a prestige drama. That's too bad.

I Love You, KK Slider

Why the singing dog is the true star of the summer's biggest game

The Peculiar Warmth of "Lodge 49"

Gone too soon, the Wyatt Russell-starring series is a humanizing and life-affirming gem

Why Love Island's "Casa Amor" Episodes >>> Everything Else on TV

Casa Amor is so much more than a gimmick. It's an emotional tour-de-force

Why I Came Back to Red Dead Redemption 2

How the deliberately slow-moving game rewards patience and observation

Listening to George Harrison's All Things Must Pass Has Never Been More Rewarding

The Harrison long-player—and we mean long!—was far ahead of its time

Midsommar: Comfort Viewing for a Strange Time

You might not usually turn to a horror movie for emotional relief, but Midsommar makes a case for it

The Descent is the Best Modern Horror Movie

Neil Marshall's magnetic horror film is a cult classic for a reason.