As expected, 2025 has not been kind for the silver screen. The recent news of Netflix buying out Warner Bros felt like the final nail in a year defined by mediocrity, corporate overreach, and cinematic disappointments. And yet. Among the rubble, a handful of films sparked genuine life back into the projector, at least for me. Against all odds, they reminded me why we still sit in the dark. Curiously, this year’s standouts came from a surprisingly balanced spread of festivals:

You must remember this… The flickering light scorching the darkness. The velvet reclining seats. The smell of popcorn, the soft chuckles, the sensual electricity of sharing something emotional with a randomly assorted room of strangers. Remember it, because cinema is at a checkmate that could prove fatal. Most people don’t seem to grasp the true scale of the catastrophe. Studios have collapsed before, merged, been swallowed whole, weathering storms that once threatened to tur

This is not an easy review to write. Normally, I might lace my words with humour, but here that feels impossible. How can you even rate a...

Benny Safdie flies solo in his first feature without his brother, Josh, and I’ll admit I braced myself for the post-Coen effect: the...

After the Hindenburgian crash of The Dead Don’t Die , Jim Jarmusch redeems himself with a triumphant return to form. Rest assured, he...

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is the cinematic equivalent of watching a child let loose in a toy shop: you can’t deny the glee, but...

After the deliriously brilliant Poor Things and the unnecessarily indulgent Kinds of Kindness , Yorgos Lanthimos is already back at it...

“People like shit,” mutters Ethan Coen, quoting Miles Davis from a hotel room overlooking the French Riviera. Slouched in his chair,...

Some places are more than just coordinates on a map. They’re emotional vaults; sanctuaries of memories. For me, the Grand Théâtre Lumière...

“It’s better than The Climb . 100%, no doubt,” declares Michael Angelo Covino, the Mediterranean glittering behind him as he munches...

Remember the days when a sneeze was more feared than a gunshot? Ari Aster surely does, and Eddington is his chaotic love letter to those...

Lynne Ramsay comes in swinging with a jagged, intoxicating fever dream that grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go. Die My Love ...

Ah, Cannes... That glittering mirage on the French Riviera where champagne flows, critics lose sleep, stars lose weight, and sunglasses...

Hollywood finally pulled it off. For once, the Oscars season didn’t feature any seismic snubs, head-scratching upsets, or infamous...

Over the last few weeks, something has been heating up Hollywood even more than the relentless LA wildfires. A whisper that ignited into...

When The VVitch came out ten years ago, horror aficionados felt as excited as a virgin on prom night: their date was Robert Eggers, the...

As we bid adieu to 2024, let’s take a moment to spotlight the titles that delivered the goods in the last 365 cinematic days. 2024 has...

Ready or not, 2025 is lurking around the corner, poised to become known as the Year of the Great Film Famine . The silver screen is...

The Critic's Week, or Settimana della Critica as the natives say, has always been quite a gamble at the Venice Film Festival. The...

With April , Dea Kulumbegashvili brings to the Lido the biggest surprise of the 2024 Venice Film Festival, shocking and dividing the...