• Sean Wang, “DIDI (弟弟)”: Interview

    Sean Wang, “DIDI (弟弟)”: Interview

    Of all the facets of adolescence in the digital age DIDI 弟弟 captures impeccably, the total blank stare on Chris’ (Isaac Wang) face as he scrolls through MySpace and AoL is quietly the most genius. Even in reaction to risky texts and awful updates, his eyes and face sit motionless, illuminated…

  • NYFF Review: The Beast (2023)

    NYFF Review: The Beast (2023)

    Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast is, at its core, a tragedy. It’s fate weaponized; watch as these two people, whose love spans entire lifetimes, end in ruin again and again. Bonello warns the audience from the get-go, but that doesn’t make it any less soul aching.   Composed of three vignettes in…

  • NYFF Review: La Chimera (2023)

    NYFF Review: La Chimera (2023)

    Why does every movie released today have active contempt for their audience? Saltburn by Emerald Fennell treats its viewers as fools incapable of parsing any subtlety, and any number of action movies topping box office charts right now can be considered slop at best. There’s no sense of wonder, no…

  • NYFF Review: Strange Way of Life (2023)

    NYFF Review: Strange Way of Life (2023)

    Comparing every movie about two men in love set vaguely around farms to Brokeback Mountain feels like a cop out, but with Pedro Almodóvar’s latest English-language short Strange Way of Life, it’s impossible not to. The short is a clear reaction to his decision to turn it down almost 20…

  • Neo Sora “Opus”: Interview

    Neo Sora “Opus”: Interview

    When news of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s death last March was announced, the world bid a loving farewell to one of its most influential and innovative figures yet. A pioneer of early synth-pop, his innovative use of synthesizers and drum machines in the late 70’s and early 80’s changed music indefinitely. Spawning…