It may be a Netflix world and we’re just living in it, as the streaming giant is hot on the Lido this year with Bradley Cooper’s ‘Maestro’, Pablo Larrain’s vampire dictator romp and Wes Anderson’s latest — but there are a couple of indie titles that you need to watch.
Read MoreBradley Cooper transforms into Leonard Bernstein in first images & trailer released by Netflix for 'Maestro'
The film, which is also directed, co-written and co-produced by Cooper, chronicles the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein.
Read MoreJiří Havelka's 'The Owners' is a brilliant cinematic metaphor for democracy gone wrong
Don’t let the title of this review lead you to believe that this is some highly educational, dull drama, as the debut feature from the Czech theater director, playwright, actor and presenter proves irreverent and hilarious as well as poignant— and, most importantly, is a must watch!
Read MoreNetflix drops Pablo Larrain Venice-bound 'El Conde' trailer and poster
The highly anticipated dark comedy horror by the Chilean auteur will premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival, before going into theaters on Sept. 7th and finally streaming on the site from September 15th.
Read More"The cognitive dissonance required to be a woman under patriarchy," as Barbie says...
Afef Ben Mahmoud in ‘Backstage’
Remembering the great Andrea Purgatori, Venice's Giornate degli Autori announces film selection
As the Venice Film Festival’s beloved sidebar turns twenty this year, no longer being a cinematic teenager means celebrating those who have left us in this world, but also looking ahead to some groundbreaking cinema.
Read More‘The Palace’ by Roman Polanski will be world premiering in Venice, out of competition
Counter-cancel culture: Venice announces latest from Woody Allen, Polanski & Wes Anderson's take on Roald Dahl's stories in lineup
Watch minds explode as they try to wrap their heads around this impressive lineup just announced by the iconic festival on the Lido, which will also feature the first African American woman filmmaker Ava DuVernay featured in the official competition. Along with much, much more.
Read MoreChristopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer' review
If you watch one film this summer, make it ‘Oppenheimer’.
Read MoreThe Wes Anderson "look" explained
The iconic filmmaker definitely has a look. In fact, there are various social media accounts dedicated to the Wes Anderson aesthetic, including “Accidental Wes Anderson” which has 1.8 million followers and “Wes Anderson Planet” with over 250K followers on Instagram.
Read MoreDisney's 'Elemental' review
We can probably all remember the first Disney film we ever watched….
Read MoreWhy Mario Martone's 'Somebody Down There Likes Me' is a must-watch for all world cinema lovers
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the birth of the late Massimo Troisi, Martone puts together a documentary homage to a man who changed the landscape of Italian cinema and also influenced filmmakers from the MENA with his groundbreaking vision and irreverent works of art.
Read More'A Cooler Climate' review
In typical James Ivory style, which we have come to know and love in the beautiful films he has been a part of throughout his career, much of the story of this moving documentary is written between the lines.
Read MoreA doc that feels like a thriller: talking to Shlomi Elkabetz about 'Black Notebooks: Ronit'
More than just an homage to a beautiful, inimitable woman, Shlomi Elkabetz's film about his sister and collaborator Ronit is a journey to the heart of cinema and a fantastic treasure hunt which, if followed through, brings us to the perfect depth of our human connection.
Read More"You can't judge a book by its cover": Darren Aronofsky's 'The Whale' in Venice
'The Whale', which is the film version of the play by Samuel D. Hunter, deals with an obese man's last chance at redemption.
Read MoreSay "Yup" to 'Nope' - a review
Ultimately, Jordan Peele's film is about connections, knowing when to turn our gaze away from things we aren't meant to be seeing, and humor -- lots and lots of humor.
Read MoreBaz Luhrmann's 'Elvis' - review
Baz Luhrmann's 'Elvis' is divine. It is a masterpiece of colossal measures, featuring stellar acting and framed with sublime clothes, settings and music.
Read More'Ahed's Knee' -- Review
Let’s get this out of the way: everything about Nadav Lapid's latest film is spellbinding.
Read MoreThe Mehdipour family in a still from Hamy Ramezan’s ‘Any Day Now’, photo courtesy of Aamu Film Company, photo by Sami Kuokkanen
Perfectly Nonconformist: Hamy Ramezan's 'Any Day Now' premieres at Berlinale
It was hard for me to fully wrap my head around the fact that ‘Any Day Now’ is Hamy Ramezan’s first feature film. This 80-some minutes story of an Iranian boy and his family, awaiting their fate as refugees in Finland is so profoundly perfect that I imagined a seasoned filmmaker at its helm.
Read MoreTrust me: 'Moon, 66 Questions' by Jacqueline Lentzou premieres at Berlinale
At the center of the story by the Greek native is a troubled father/daughter relationship, revisited when the father Paris, played with stunning vulnerability by Lazaros Georgakopoulos, develops Multiple Sclerosis or MS. The daughter Artemis, a force of nature in the masterful hands of actress Sofia Kokkali, ends up becoming his full time carer and in the process not only discovers something about her father she never knew, but also ends up finding herself.
Read MoreA still from ‘Liborio’ by Nino Martínez Sosa
Island Life: 'Liborio' and 'I Comete' are both must-watch titles at IFFR
Two films play at this year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam that will make you yearn to a visit to an island. Any island…
Read More