Don't worry, Sam Raimi fans. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness fully goes horror—jump scares, body horror, a smattering of diabolical kills and all. It's an MCU movie but has Raimi's creepy groovy campy deranged DNA all over it. Start the Elizabeth Olsen Oscar campaign. It's messy, uneven, and ridiculous but also may have made a play to be my favorite MCU movie of all time.

Full review on smash cut

AFTERSUN is one of the best depictions of depression I’ve seen in film. Beautifully wrought with shots and score that play like a memory on loop. The last 10 minutes had the entire audience sobbing. Paul Mescal should be in the Oscar conversation. In tears. A masterpiece. #Cannes

My full review is on smash cut 

STARS AT NOON is bad & I blame it on Joe Alwyn not being Robert Pattinson. Not sure how to criticize it because it’s just a boring mess. Plays like a Wikipedia page about Latin American politics (with more sex) at best. At worst it’s an overly long snore. A tragedy.

Although bonus points for the line: “you’re so pale it’s like being fucked by a cloud.”

BROKER is at once heartwarming & heartbreaking. A sensitive portrait of chosen family with a sly criminal plot that keeps you engaged, but it’s the irresistible and hilarious cast of characters led by Song Kang-ho that keep you hooked. The best overall cast of any movie at Cannes this year. Kore-eda is one of the best filmmakers of drama working today. One of the best of the fest.

DECISION TO LEAVE is Park Chan-wook at the top of his game. It begins as a fiercely paced fun detective romp that turns into a well-wrought romance about two characters finding liberation with each other. Tang Wei gives the performance of a lifetime. I’m stunned by here. 

It’s going to need to a second viewing to fully grasp his intention with the second half. But I as I thought it out during the credits I began to piece together his themes of autonomy over your own life and choices. Not quite as subversive as The Handmaiden, but even good-to-great Park Chan-wook films near perfection.

EO is about a depressed donkey named Eo who wishes to be a horse and crosses paths with people like a heavy metal meat trafficker, a hot priest, and Isabelle Huppert. I surprisingly really enjoyed this one. Kind of like The Tree of Life by way of donkey. #Cannes

ANORA is a masterpiece and maybe Sean Baker’s best. A kinetic laugh-a-minute rom-com quasi-thriller that is entertaining, hilarious and profound in its final moments. Mikey Madison gives a star-is-born performance and immediately a contender for Best Actress. Phenomenal. #Cannes

full review on smash cut

Nope is Jordan Peele’s Jaws. A chopped, screwed, and depraved homage to the summer blockbuster with references to Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Twister, War of the Worlds, and of course Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

There are some stunning anxiety-inducing, white-knuckled suspense pieces that had my heart racing. It will be polarizing as said, but it got me. Keke Palmer is easily MVP.

Triangle of Sadness is easily my favorite of Cannes so far (and one of the best of the year. A 2.5 hour hilarious every minute biting satire of the rich and class that is ever changing. An incredible cast of characters that I’m gonna miss hanging out with. I could have watched it for hours.

Crush is as formulaic as they come—and that's fine. Queer kids deserve their own corny high school romantic comedies and Crush delivers on that.

Full review on Smash Cut

DUNE: Part Two is a masterpiece. Maybe one of the best space films ever. Besides being the most visually impressive movie I've seen—an assault on all the senses—it's a riveting political thriller & character study. The cast is great but Rebecca Ferguson & Austin Butler steal it.

Every aspect is perfection. The score, cinematography, makeup, costumes, production design, sound, vfx are all at the very top of their craft.

Timothée Chalamet gives his best performance since Call Me By Your Name. Zendaya cements her movie star status.

ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE is a YA movie masterpiece. A charming, raw, and emotional search of identity that never feels overwrought or idealistic like other YA films. With a stellar cast led by the terrific Max Pelayo, this is a knockout.

TIFF 2022 movie #5