Lorry Kikta

It’s a nearly perfect film.

There’s something for everyone in Amazing Grace. I would definitely recommend checking this out if you’re a fan of concert docs, or of the queen of soul. Even if you’re none of those things, it’s an interesting historical document, so give it a go!

It’s so much more than a story about mobsters. It’s a story of hope, success, and failure. It’s a sprawling behemoth of a film that surprisingly, considering its length, I already want to watch again.

The most important thing in Marriage Story really isn’t the divorce itself. It’s Charlie and Nicole as people on their own individual journeys through one of the hardest things a person can ever go through. It’s a beautiful character piece that revels in its protagonists’ quirks and tics.

This new interpretation of the beloved classic absolutely deserves to be seen in theaters.

The electrifying performances, superb cinematography, and timeless subject matter make it a shoo-in for awards all over the place. Considering that it is a smaller piece of a more prominent statement makes it all the more interesting.

I cannot recommend The Swerve enough. It is one of the most depressing horror films I’ve ever seen, so maybe don’t watch it if you’re trying to feel super-sunshiney. It is an amazingly cathartic experience.

Some people, including a couple of people I watched the film with, may see The House That Jack Built as pretentious nonsense. Others will see it as the glorification of violence. I see it for what it was intended to be, a work of complicated, violent, hilarious art.

This movie is absolutely fantastic!

Please seek out The Human Voice as soon as you can. It is a short, shockingly beautiful exploration of the stages of abandonment.

Nomadland is a wonderful exploratory mission into real American life.

The documentary is made for big Dio fans and burgeoning metalheads. They’ll love it and maybe you will too.

Hall has crafted a masterpiece of nostalgic filmmaking.

This documentary is a great look into the personal lives of Chatwin and Herzog, and for that, it is worth seeing.

I wholeheartedly recommend this film as a glimpse into the effects of war on female soldiers, and also as an opportunity to see WWII from a perspective that isn’t American. It has some devastating scenes, which makes sense considering the subject matter, but it also has a faint glimpse of hope that makes the film all the more worth watching.

Director Sam Dunn weaves wonderful mythology that leaves you happy for the band’s longevity and ready for more from the sharp-dressed men.

Ghostbox Cowboy is a wonderful mishmash of mockumentary that lends comparisons to Ulrich Seidl’s work or Harmony Korine’s earlier films such as Julien Donkey Boy and Gummo, with the weirdness of Terry Gilliam and the idiosyncratic brutality of Werner Herzog, while also being a completely unique animal apart from these influences.

Rose Plays Julie is an emotionally cathartic thriller.

It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will make you think. That doesn’t happen all that often in the same movie.

Driveways is short but effective. It’s more about mood than the overall plot.

My one complaint about the film is that it is probably about half an hour too long for my liking (it’s almost 2.5 hours long). Otherwise, I thought it was one of the more honest portrayals of growing up in less than idyllic circumstances with a less than perfect family I’ve seen in quite some time.

Eggers immerses us in the world of Norse mythology, where Odin reigns supreme and Valkyries carry you to Valhalla if you die in battle. Visually and technically, the movie is a marvel.

It’s a very exciting, sad, yet extremely funny film.

Woman At War is one of the best films I’ve seen about climate change that isn’t either a documentary or an extremely pedantic horror story.

Daniel Karslake and writer/editor Nancy Kennedy are excellent storytellers, and I’m forever grateful to them and the families who participated for hopefully helping society take a step in the right direction, away from discrimination and towards equality.

This funny, heartwarming, and thorough documentation of Sparks’ career [is] a benchmark by which all future music documentaries will be judged.

It’s honestly one of the best dark comedies I’ve seen in years, and I can’t wait to watch it again.

[A] mind-blowingly thorough and epic documentary.

The reason that Once Upon A Time In Venezuela is so effective is that it explores a microcosm of the events.

It’s a parody, a biopic, a comedy, a tragedy, an experimental film, and God knows what else. It may sound crazy to say, but The Other Side of The Wind is quite possibly Orson Welles’ most ambitious picture and that might explain why it remained unfinished for so long.

It’s yet another piece of Coen Brothers’ gold that just makes me curious about what kind of magic they’re going to make next.

It is leaps and bounds above the average boring status quo comedies, and it is exceptionally well-crafted.

It’s a funny, sad, and ultimately joyous journey into a world that most Westerners will not understand. It highlights the resilience of people, particularly women, in a place where the system has set them up for failure. Yet somehow, they strive, survive, and sometimes succeed.

If you are a lover of art, especially abstract art, you must see Beyond The Visible – Hilma af Klint. You’ll be blown away by af Klint’s genius and how ahead of her time she really was.

I loved Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain because, like Bourdain himself, the film pulls no punches. It’s fearless in that it’s not looking to beatify its deceased subject.

Archenemy is an absolute must-watch.

Non-Fiction is incredibly witty, fast-paced, and unmistakably French.

If you like anything David Lynch or any of the surrealist masters, like Luis Bunuel have ever made, then you will like Giving Birth to a Butterfly. It also has a kick of Douglas Sirk/Ranier Fassbinder melodrama which I always love. If these are things you seek out in films, you will be right at home here.

I highly recommend this decades-spanning, engrossing, hilarious, sad, and informative documentary to all music fans, whether you liked Davis beforehand or not.

Essential viewing for those who want a complete perspective on the history of film. Tons of information is packed into an hour and thirty-seven minutes and much of it I didn’t know before watching.

I Carry You With Me is an emotional powerhouse that had me and the other moviegoers crying our collective eyes out.

It’s a beautiful visual and spiritual journey through the glorious highs and devastating lows of a brilliant artist who was ahead of his time.

The movie is a shared experience between a mother and daughter that could tread into the undeniably cheesy or depressing territory but has a tattered joy to it. It’s a low-budget slice of life, which we don’t see too many of these days.

The most critical element of Winter’s documentary is not the scandal itself, but the fact that hundreds of journalists from around the world were able to work together to expose this corruption, despite the consequences, and their egos.

It’s like a video game, but with Chris Hemsworth doing all the killing and maiming. Again, the stunts and special effects are fantastic, and as far as action movies go, there are far worse options out there.

I really appreciate the bold narrative that Thyberg and co-writer Peter Modestij crafted. It is sex-positive, it takes no prisoners, and it grabs your attention from word one to the final frame.

The actress playing Jade, Vicky Knight is a burn victim herself. It lends a realism to the movie that makes it by turns heartbreaking and inspiring.

The Deeper You Dig is one of the more fascinating explorations of psychic activity and hauntings that I’ve seen in quite some time.

One definitely has to have an appreciation of the absurd to enjoy Diamantino.

The director, who also stars in the film, and his fellow lead Christopher Abbott, share amazing chemistry that turns any run-of-the-mill conversation into entertainment.

If you have a strong distaste for ICE as I do, you will love the way these kids get one over on them in The Infiltrators.

The film has a whimsical surreality to it, just like the actor himself.

When you turn on Cryptozoo, you’re in for something that’s unlike anything else you’ve seen before. It is the most interesting and singular animated movie I’ve seen in years.

The Fight is a fantastic documentary highlighting the real heroes out there: the overworked attornies of the ACLU.

The movie is set up to pull the heartstrings, and it’s very effective at doing so. You care for the characters and what happens to them, and you leave the film wanting to know more.

Edson Oda’s script is incredible. It asks so many philosophical questions without being preachy or pedantic. It successfully reminds us how precious all of our lives are, which is no small feat.

This film is filled with bursts of color. The high energy visuals counterbalance the tragic malaise of Goldie’s life perfectly.

Days of The Whale is a quiet, beautiful coming of age story.

There’s a lot of emotional and intellectual material that writer/director Josephine Mackerras grapples with in Alice, and she is quite successful in doing so.

Overall, I think this documentary is perfect, even if it is a bit of Christmas propaganda.

This film is definitely the Mads Mikkelsen show, and it is one of his most powerful, emotive performances to date.

Learning about the old points of view can help us build better ones. Hopper/Welles is important for that reason. It’s also hilarious to hear Welles, who is never onscreen, browbeat Hopper to answer questions he doesn’t want to answer. Seriously, this film is a treat.

For being a period piece, Emma is not stodgy at all. The lightning-paced repartee is incredibly funny, and the tit for tat dialogue is full of fierce wit thanks to Elanor Catton’s script, and obviously Jane Austen.

The Disappearance of My Mother is rife with grand philosophical questions about beauty, capitalism, love, life, and death, while still maintaining the intimacy of a family connection.

Please see this film, if only to hear victims speak truth to power.

If you’re a fan of comedy, Asian cinema or both, you will almost definitely love this movie. It’s a unique fast-paced film that’ll be sure to entertain even the most persnickety of audiences.

Sword Of Trust is one of the most well-written and acted comedies I’ve seen in quite some time and definitely the best I’ve seen so far this year. It has a high absurdity factor but simultaneously the set, costume, and production design is so life-like, you willing go along for this truly weird adventure that really only could happen in the south.

I highly suggest seeking out Knife+Heart if you like 70s & 80s B-movie and exploitation films. This was a spot-on homage to the beloved genre. It’s hilarious and haunting and genuinely beautiful, an ambitious film that the more prudish amongst us will be squirming in their seats during. So this is definitely not something to go see with your parents, regardless of your and their ages.

Welsh director Prano Bailey-Bond’s feature debut, Censor, is one of those horror movies that sticks with you well after the credits roll. That’s because it doesn’t follow the typical horror movie formula.

How to Build a Girl is an incredibly fun movie.

If you want to discover (or get to know more about) a unique man who is as wildly talented as much as he tries to say otherwise, please watch The Times Of Bill Cunningham.

I recommend the film wholeheartedly to lovers of weirdo cinema, for people who don’t expect films to follow a strict format, and for those who love the art of writing for film. The screenplay by Emigholz is a behemoth that somehow doesn’t crash, although it seems like it could at any given moment.

It’s a pastiche of all the good anthologies we had back in the day, such as Tales From The Crypt, Creep Show, and more. It’s a perfect Halloween watch.

Just know that Sacha Baron Cohen is up to his old tricks, but he’s got some new ones, too.

What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael is a wonderful visitation of the famed critic’s life. It’s also a great place to start if you know nothing about her.

Ask Dr. Ruth is a lovely tribute to the renowned sex therapist, but it’s not blazing any trails of its own as its subject matter has. As a documentary, it’s pretty formulaic.

The Marriage shows us this problematic side of love with no judgment, which is incredibly refreshing.

This film shows us that it is okay. We can survive. We can even thrive, and certainly, we can get by with a little help from our friends.

This weird little slice of vampire movies is definitely not your average bloodfest. It’s odd and dreamlike and one of my favorite films I’ve seen so far this year. So give Climate of the Hunter a shot!

It’s a delightful comedy about some of the darkest stuff we can go through as humans, which can only be pulled off by certain writers and directors. Gus Van Sant is definitely one of them.

The script for this film is absolutely incredible.

As far as horror goes, Anything For Jackson turns up the tension as well as the best of them.

If you like quiet, meditative supernatural thrillers, you will ultimately enjoy The Wind quite a bit.

The ensemble cast of Werewolves Within is what makes it.

This is a very inventive, original story, in a cinematic landscape that sometimes seems bereft of such things.

This short but powerful film is extremely important in the MAGA era when all our civil rights victories as a nation are constantly in danger of being overturned. I also think it’s important for people to know that the true message of Christianity is love and acceptance, despite however many of the religion’s followers have twisted it to the contrary.

Go see this movie. Take your pre-teen who’s going through an awkward phase to see it (if you let them watch stuff with bad language and underage drinking, I should say). Or if you were a kid who came of age in the actual mid 90’s, this will give you an aching nostalgia for your youth.

The important part about Becoming is not necessarily the facts you learn about Michelle Obama, but seeing her in action.

A Good Woman Is Hard To Find is an extremely harrowing, tense movie that has such an unbelievably satisfying payoff.

I think that All The Bright Places is a beautiful film. You will probably cry, but it will be worth it.

Stephens knows how to get outstanding performances from all the actors. He creates a whimsical atmosphere in a scenario that could be unbearable heavy. This is probably one of the most fun movies I’ve seen that hangs its hat in a land of death. Yet, it celebrates life, which we all need a little bit more of, don’t you think?

Anyone who likes gothic horror and science fiction will appreciate what Kelsey Egan and Emma Lungiswa De Wet offer. They create a beautiful and horrible world in which you cant help bet get lost. As I said before, it is my favorite film of the year so far, so if that carries any weight with you, seek this gem out.

Mirabella-Davis somehow perfectly captures a woman’s perspective on the twisted series of events that leads Hunter to where she lands by the end of the film.

The cast in this film is incredible.

Maya Erskine is hilarious, which is no surprise, given how funny she is on Hulu’s Pen15.

This film is very much of our current era, but you can even be *gasp* over 30 and enjoy CRSHD, even if it is a little reminiscent of a lot of the college movies that came before it.

The film also has some hilarious moments and some that tug at your heartstrings.