Walter B. Hill

1 week ago | criticalpopcorn.com | Nick has written |Walter B. Hill |Nick Bartlett

It’s unusual for a film to debut on home release as part of the Criterion Collection – the only other examples I can think of are co-productions with platforms like Netflix (The Irishman or The Power Of The Dog). But somehow, it feels strangely fitting for Anora, a film that swept the Oscars despite being far from traditional awards fare. Sean Baker brings his characteristic blend of realism, low-key humour and human poignancy to this much more realistic take on Pretty Woman.

3 weeks ago | criticalpopcorn.com | Nick has written |Walter B. Hill |Nick Bartlett

Kiyoshi Kurosawa had a notably prolific 2024, outdoing Steven Soderbergh in terms of the amount of films releases in a single year. While Chime and Serpent’s Path both featured overt echoes of his earlier work, Cloud feels very different. An action thriller with dark comedic undertones, it’s a more accessible, even playful film by Kurosawa’s standards, while still retaining that characteristically fatalistic edge.

4 weeks ago | criticalpopcorn.com | Nick has written |Walter B. Hill |Nick Bartlett

Following in the footsteps of Civil War, Alex Garland returns – this time in collaboration with Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza – with Warfare, a blisteringly intense and technically immaculate war film rooted in the real-life experiences of Mendoza himself. Told in real time and set during the fallout from the 2006 Battle of Ramadi, Warfare is as immersive and gripping as war cinema gets—but whether it has anything to say about war is another matter entirely.

1 month ago | criticalpopcorn.com | Nick has written |Walter B. Hill |Nick Bartlett

There have been a few films that tackle weighty issues through the lens of a child’s perspective, often choosing one of two approaches: either an overly stylized, fairy-tale-like presentation (Pan’s Labyrinth, Tideland) or a stark, unflinching realism (Ratcatcher, The Florida Project). The final film in our coverage of the Glasgow Film Festival, Spilt Milk manages to have it both ways, while still maintaining a consistent tone – just about.

1 month ago | criticalpopcorn.com | Nick has written |Walter B. Hill |Nick Bartlett

Athina Rachel Tsangari’s English language debut is a moody, atmospheric, sometimes enthralling, sometimes maddening experience. It’s a film with a potent sense of identity and huge potential, but much of the significant runtime feels like the set-up for a bloody resolution that never happens. Adapted from Jim Crace’s novel, Harvest depicts the slow destruction of a secluded English village in the Middle Ages, unraveling over the course of a single week.