Lorry Kikta

Writer/director, Kaveh Nabatian, is an excellent storyteller. It’s very easy to get wrapped up in the beautiful musical world of dance, love, and heartache that is Sin La Habana. It’s a world definitely worth exploring.

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 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.

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.

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.

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

If you want to see a movie that explores grief and death with a very unique and interesting twist, watch An Unquiet Grave. I doubt you’ll regret it.

The film is quite funny and very well written by writer/director Morgan Ignari.

The visual effects are haunting, the costume design by Juliana Hoffpauir is delightfully fanciful, particularly for Shaw’s scenes as a nameless masked demon. The cinematography from veteran cinematographer Shane F. Kelly is a sight to behold. Basically, The Blazing World is gorgeous. It’s also incredibly well written by Peirce Brown and Young.

This is one of the better examples of art imitating life that I have seen in a long time. It’s very real and takes no prisoners. Watch it when you feel like having a good cry.

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

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?

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

It makes me curious about what Noel David Taylor is going to do next. This weirdo indictment of Hollywood is just that interesting.

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.

The script for this film is absolutely incredible.

The ensemble cast of Werewolves Within is what makes it.

Agony resounds with gothic horror vibes and feels like it belongs to the past.

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

This movie is absolutely fantastic!

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

Director Sabrina Van Tassel does an excellent job of drawing in the audience to the labyrinthian case of Melissa Lucio.

The performances are remarkable, particularly from Kingsley, and I love the script. I can’t wait to see what Dan Kelly and Devereux Milburn do next, whether it’s together or separately.

The Columnist is that rare mix of comedy and horror that isn’t too cheesy or over the top.

While there are some serious themes at play, the movie still has plenty of gooey gory fun for horror fans.

[A] mind-blowingly thorough and epic documentary.

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.

Rose Plays Julie is an emotionally cathartic thriller.

I think that Prisoners of the Ghostland belongs in the category that was previously only really reserved for Jodorowsky’s El Topo, and that is the Acid Western. It embodies and revives that category of movie. If you like Westerns, martial arts, Japanese cinema, Nicolas Cage, or anything weird AF, then this is certainly for you.

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.

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

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.

Hall has crafted a masterpiece of nostalgic filmmaking.

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.

It’s one of the most exciting genre mashups I’ve seen in years.

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.

Thompson pulled off an extraordinary feat. He introduced a whole new audience to a very impressive cultural event that could have been entirely forgotten. He also reminds us of where and what conditions we all came from as a country and where we’re headed now.

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.

Haymaker has a little something for everyone, and it’s totally worth the watch. I’m excited to see what Nick Sasso does next.

The movie is well-written by Garrel, Carriere, and Langmann. Cinematographer Renato Berta makes the atmosphere in all of its beautiful simplicity. The acting is fantastic.

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

The script, written by David McKenna, is extremely impactful, as are the performances.

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.

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

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!

Archenemy is an absolute must-watch.

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.

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.

Come Away is just a heart-rending, joyful, and gorgeous movie that everyone should take their kids to go see.

It’s a Christmas movie that makes you laugh. There are a couple of cheesy scenes, though, so don’t worry if that’s what you’re looking for in your holiday viewing.

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

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.

I felt as if I knew Steinem by the end of it, and as though there might be some hope in this current hellscape in which we live. It is the exact kind of movie we need in times such as these.

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

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.

It’s a nearly perfect film.

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.

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

Random Acts of Violence has something to say about the proliferation of torture porn and horror that glorifies violence. Baruchel does it in a smart, sometimes funny, and sometimes utterly devastating way. It’s absolutely worth checking out if you love horror, and maybe even if you don’t.

If you are interested in the history of cinema, this is a very unique lens to look at it through.

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

It’s a smart comedy that points out the flaws of all aspects of the United State’s political landscape. It discusses how bad the division is in our country and how the media and politicians are complicit in this division. It’s a problem for both sides of the aisle that needs to be addressed before any real change can be made.

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

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.

The concept is original, and the film spends a lot of time misdirecting or not explaining things thoroughly, adding an intriguing layer of mystery. The questions the film asks about life, love, and morality are heavy but not so much as to weigh down everything.

If you can handle a movie with a jam-packed ridiculous narrative that doesn’t entirely solve itself, then you should definitely watch Dreamland.

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

Becky is a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse that leaves you unsure if the good guy is really that good at all. It’s funny at parts, shocking in parts, but mostly it’s just a great thriller that just so happens to have a 13-year-old girl as the heroine.

You should absolutely see Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time – Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-Fi. It’s about an hour and a half long, and I’ve seen it twice and could watch it again.

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.

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

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

How to Build a Girl is an incredibly fun movie.

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.

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.

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.

If you want to know more about cult cinema, Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time is a great place to start.

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.

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.

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

Unfortunately, I have to admit that the tenor of the movie is almost unbearably cheesy and sometimes verges on infomercial territory.

I highly recommend this film to everyone but especially those who love biopics and prison thrillers. I think it’s important for people to learn this piece of history, and I’m glad that Francis Annan brought his interpretation of these events to an audience that might not be familiar with them.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

The Nowhere Inn deeply explores the dynamic between performer and audience and performer with self. It does so in a way I’ve never seen before. It has so many layers that at some point, you get lost in the thick of it, but in a good way.

The Last Thing He Wanted is trying to be too many things at once. It goes off on several tangents that don’t ever conclude.

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

Beast Beast captures the high school experience like lightning in a bottle.

There are some intense, heartbreaking moments in this film, but I am glad to say that the ending is not as sad as it could have been.

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.

Check out VHYES if you want to see the most original film to come out in ages.

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.

Gracefully directed by Fried Green Tomatoes and Justified director Jon Avnet, Three Christs is a great dark comedy about a dark subject. I can’t say enough how great the performances are. It’s a relevant character study on those who suffer from mental illness and the ones who treat it and why they do.

It’s impressive that Bombshell is able to discuss all the issues at hand all at once.

There are visually stunning scenes throughout, but the acting and writing are the pièce de résistance of Sibyl and should be exactly why you put this film on your radar as one to watch from 2019. It’s certainly going on my end of year favorite list.

It’s definitely a well-crafted genre offering. The writing could be better, with more of an emphasis on the relationships than on the plot mechanisms, but the ending is cool. The cast is also very good, but again, if the script were just a tad bit better, the film would get a better rating from me.

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.

Liberté is shocking, but it is staged as banally as possible.

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 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.

The film is truly gorgeous and interesting for fans of literature.

Overall I would say that Travis Scott: Look Mom I Can Fly is an incredibly wholesome, feel-good film that shows us that hard work and determination really can bring you grand success in some cases.

Tabernacle 101 is undeniably entertaining in a trash-tv sort of way.

Official Secrets is an incredibly smart film that celebrates the whistleblowers of the world. It also shows the occasional futility in these efforts as well. It illustrates the all-powerful machine that is government and how that machine can destroy whoever it wants pretty damn easily.

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

The film is fast and tight and hits all the beats perfectly.

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

The movie is also just plain out fun, and I feel like a lot of other horror films could take a lesson from it.

Only a little over an hour-long, yet manages to be one of the most compelling subversions of the possession genre I’ve ever seen.

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.

It should be memorable for fans of thrillers, especially for those of the home invasion variety.

This deep-thoughts comedy is a must-watch for fans of Greg’s, but also for anyone who wants something beyond frat boy comedy or the typical Apatovian-adjacent improv stuff that has become de rigueur at this point. It’s a special movie that I hope people enjoy as much as I did.

Hampstead is a perfectly good romantic dramedy.

It’s a darkly funny allegory about technology with awesome practical gore.

The cool thing about this film is that instead of the normal talking heads and formulaic path of the typical biographical documentary, we are shown photos and films from Wyman’s personal archive, which is one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen.

Into the Mirror is, as the kids say, a “#mood” but in all honesty, that is a great way to describe the film. It’s based on feelings and the subconscious seen through Daniel’s eyes, rather than being objective.

The great thing about this documentary, other than seeing some very provocative dancing, is that it goes beyond the superficial and talks about the socioeconomic situations that most black people in America face.

I recommend this film more for fans of Jarmusch than for hardcore fans of the zombie genre. Although I hope that it does serve as an introduction to Jarmusch to people who haven’t seen his other films. Hopefully, most audiences can take away the message from the movie and don’t get too thrown off by the jokes or the star power involved.

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

Overall, Nothing Stays The Same: The Story of The Saxon Pub is a feel good movie. The ending is happy and it’s wonderful because all of these people deserve a place to showcase their art. Music is very important. Community is as well.

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

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

Walking on Water is essential for any devotee of the arts, as this shows a project from fruition to dismantling, a full life cycle of an art installation if you will. I, for one, found it very fascinating.

Regardless of how someone might feel about what she’s done, XY Chelsea will definitely give you some insight into why she did it and maybe will help inform a better understanding of what’s going on behind the scenes in these long, awful wars that America keeps getting into.

The performances are inspired.

A beautifully told, deeply personal story ... for people who can dig the mumblecore.

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.

My favorite horror offering of the year so far. It’s smart, uncompromising, inventive and just downright hilarious.

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.

It’s perfectly entertaining, it’s just not going to win any Oscars, but it doesn’t need to, it’s a summer movie for fans of the comic and adults who still feel like kids. If that’s you, go see it!

Victor Goodview is definitely goofy. There’s terrible ADR, a lot of weird time spent in bathrooms, too much man-butt, but it’s still got a heart of gold underneath. Which makes it fit into the Troma canon quite nicely, if you ask me.

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

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!

Some moments are a bit corny, such as subliminal messages coming from a tape played backward. However, I find the spin that writer/director Daniel Farrands puts on one of the most gruesome murders in history, will make all who see The Haunting of Sharon Tate examine the Tate murders, and maybe our own lives differently.

Insofar as low-budget horror goes, The Edge of Isolation is successful at exploring its subject matter without becoming to cheesy or hackneyed. The acting and writing are good, as well as the score and cinematography. I think Houkal, who is also a prolific actor, has a good career ahead of him as a filmmaker.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Something is an incredibly solid debut feature.

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.

Overall, I would recommend seeing this film if you are a fan of Mapplethorpe’s work, the New York art world, or of Matt Smith. He gives a bravura performance which outshines everything and everyone on screen.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

While nothing horrifying happens within the first half hour, what comes after is enough to give you some anxiety for at least the rest of the day after watching it.

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

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.

I found the entire emotional journey on which Weightless takes viewers to be rewarding as well as heartbreaking.

The Clovehitch Killer is one of the best horror films to come out this year. It’s intelligent and subversive, and it captures the banality of small-town life perfectly.

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

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.

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

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’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.

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

The cast in this film is incredible.